folowyng the same So Baptisme and the Supper of the Lord be as testimonies and profes that by our fayth only in Christ we are iustified that as our bodyes are washed by water and our life nourished by bread and wine so by the bloud of Christ our sinnes be purged and the hunger of our soules releued by the death of his body Upon the same fayth riseth also outward profession by mouth as a declaration thereof Other thinges also as fruites and effectes do follow after fayth as peace of conscience ioy in the holy Ghost inuocation patience charitie mercy iudgement sanctification For God for our fayth in Christ his sonne therfore geueth into our hartes his holy spirite of comfort of peace and sanctification whereby mans hart is moued to a godly disposition to feare God to seek him to call vpon him to trust vnto him to stick to him in all aduersities and persecutions to loue him for hys sake also to loue our brethren to haue mercy and compassion vpon them to visite them if they be in prison to breake bread to them if they be hungry and if they be burdened to ease them to clothe them if they be naked and to harbour them if they be houseles Mat. 25. with such other spirituall exercises of pietie and sanctification as these which therefore I call spirituall because they proceede of the holy spirite and law of God which is spirituall And thus haue ye a Catholicke Christian defined first after the rules of Rome and also after the rule of the Gospell Now conferre these Antitheses together and see whether of these is the truer christian the ceremonial man after the Church of Rome or the spirituall man with his fayth and other spirituall fruites of pietie following after the same And if ye say that ye mixt them both together spirituall thinges with your corporall ceremonies to that I aunswere agayne that as touching the end of remission of sinnes and saluation they ought in no case to be ioyned together because the meane cause of all our saluation and remission is onely spirituall and consisteth in fayth and in no other And therefore vpon the same cause I come to my question agayne as I began to aske whether the Religion of Christ be a mere spirituall religion and whether in the Religion of Rome as it is now is any thing but onely mere corporall thinges required to make a catholicke man And thus I leaue you to your aunswere IN turning ouer the first leafe of this booke which is pag. 2. col 1. and in the latter end of the same colume thou shalt finde gentle Reader the argument of Pighius Hosius wherein thus they argue That forsomuch as Christ must needes haue a catholicke Church euer continuing here in earth which all men may see wherunto all men ought to resort and seeing no other church hath endured continually from the Apostles visible here in earth but only the church of Rome they conclude therefore the Church onely of Rome to be the right Catholicke Church of Christ. c. In aunswering whereunto this is to be sayd that forsomuch as the medius terminus of this argument both in the Maior and Minor consisteth onely in the word visible and vnknowne if they meane by this word visible in the Maior that Christes Church must be seene here to all the world that all men may resort to it it is false Likewise if they meane by the same word visible in the Minor that no other Church hath bene seene and known to any but onely the Church of Rome they are likewise deceiued For the true Church of Christ neyther is so visible that all the worlde can see it but onelye they whiche haue spirituall eyes and bee members thereof nor yet so inuisible agayne but suche as be Gods elect and members therof doe see it and haue seen it though the worldly eyes of the most multitude cannot so doe c. Wherof read more in the protestation aboue prefixed to the church of England Foure considerations geuen out to Christian Protestantes professours of the Gospell with a briefe exhortation inducing to reformation of life ¶ The first consideration AS in the page before foure questions were moued to the Catholick Papists to answere them at theyr leysure so haue I here to the Christian Gospellers foure considerations likewise for them to muse vpon with speede conuenient THe first consideration is this euery good man well to weigh with himselfe the long tranquillitie the great plenty the peaceable libertie which the Lord of his mercy hath bestowed vpon this land during all the reigne hetherto of this our Souereigne and most happy Queene ELIZABETH in such sort as the like example of Gods aboundant mercies are not to be seene in any nation about vs so as we may well sing with the Psalme in the Churche Non fecit taliter omni nationâ— opes gloria suae non manifestauit eis first in hauing the true light of Gods gospel so shining among vs so publickly receiued so freely preached with such libertie of conscience without daunger professed hauing withall a Prince so vertuous a Queene so gratious geuen vnto vs of our owne natiue country bred and borne amongst vs so quietly gouerning vs so long lent vnto vs in such peace defending vs agaynst such as would els diuoure vs briefly what could we haue more at Gods hand if wee woulde wish or what els could we wish in this world that we haue not if this one thing lacked not grace to vse that well which we haue ¶ The second consideration AS these thinges first are to be considered concerning our selues so secondly let vs consider likewise the state and tymes of other our countrymen and blessed Martyrs afore past what stormes of persecutions they susteined what little rest they had with what enemies they were matched with what crosses pressed vnder what Princes vnder what Prelates they liued or rather dyed in the dayes of King Henry the 4. king Henry 5. King Henry 7. King Henry 8. Queene Mary c. vnder Boâ—er Bishoppe of London Gardiner Bishoppe of Winchester Cholmley Story Bishoppe Arundell Stokesley Courtney Warham At what time children were caused to set fire to their fathers The father adiured to accuse the sonne the wife to accuse the husband the husband the wife brother the sister sister the brother examples whereof are plenty in this booke to be seene pag. 774. ¶ The third consideration THirdly let vs call to mynd considering thus with our selues These good men and worthy Martyrs in those dangerous daies tastyng as they did the heauy hand of Gods sharpe correction beginning commonly with his owne house first if they were aliue now in these Alcion daies vnder the protection of such a peaceable prince O what thanks would they geue to God how happy would they count themselues hauing but halfe of that we haue with freedome onely of conscience and safetie of lyfe Or if in
was how and when it should appeare they aunswered that his kingdome was no worldly nor terren thing but an heauenly and Aungelicall kingdome that it should appeare in the consummation end of the world what tyme he comming in glory should iudge the quicke and the dead and render to euery one according to his deseruinges Domitian the Emperour hearing this as the saying is did not condemne them but despising them as vile persons let them go also staid the persecution then mooued against the Christians They being thus discharged and dismissed afterward had the gouernmeÌ„t of Churches beyng taken for Martyrs and as of the Lords stock and so consumed in good peace till the tyme of Traianus Haec Egesip Euseb Lib. 3. cap. 20. By this story here recited may appeare what were the causes why the Emperours of the Romaine Monarchie did so persecute the Christians which causes were chiefly these feare and hatred 1. feare for that the Emperors and Senate of blinde ignoraunce not knowing the maner of Christes kingdome feared and misdoubted least the same would subuert their Emperie Like as the Pope thinkeeh now that this Gospel wil ouerthrow his kingdom of maiestie And therfore sought they all means possible how by death and all kindes of torments vtterly to extinguish the name and memorie of the christians And therupon semeth to spring the old law of the Romaine Senate Non debere dimitti Christianos qui semel ad tribunal venissent nisi propositum mutent i. That the Christians should not bee let goe which were once brought to the iudgement seate except they chaunged their purpose c. Euseb. Lib. 5. cap. 21.2 Hatred partly for that this world of his owne naturall condition hath euer hated and maliced the people of god from the first beginning of the world Partly agayne for that the Christians beyng of a contrary nature and Religion seruing only the true liuing God despised their false gods spake against their idolatrous worshippings and many tymes stopped the power of Sathan working in their Idoles And therfore Sathan the Prince of this world stirred vp the Romaine Princes blynd Idolaters to beare the more hatred and spite against them Upon these causes and such like rose vp these malicious slaunders false surmises infamous lies slanderous accusations of the Heathen idolaters against the Christian seruaunts of God which incited the Princes of this world the more to persecute them for what crimes so euer malice could inuent or rash suspicion could minister that was imputed to the Christians as that they were a people incestuous that in the night in their concourses puttyng out their candles they ranne together in all filthy maner that they killed their owne children that they vsed to eate mans flesh that they were seditious and rebellious that they would not sweare by the fortune prosperitie of Caesar that they would not adore the Image of Caesar in the market place that they were pernitious to the Emperie of Rome Briefly whatsoeuer mishappened to the Citie or Prouinces of Rome either famine pestilence earthquake warres wonders vnseasonablenes of weather or what other euils soeuer hapned it was imputed to the Christians as Iustinus recordeth Ouer and beside al these a great occasion that stirred vp the Emperours against the Christians came by one Publius Tarquinius the chiefe Prelate of the idolatrous sacrifices and Mamertinus the chiefe gouernour of the Citie in the tyme of Traianus who partly with money partly with sinister and pestilent counsaâ—â—e partly with infamous accusations as witnesseth Nauclerus incensed the mynde of the Emperour so muche against Gods people Also among these other causes abouesaid crept in some piece of couetousnes withal as in all other things it doth in that the wicked promooters and accusers for sucre sake to haue the possessions of the christians were the more redy to accuse them to haue the spoyle of their goods Thus hast thou Christian reader first the causes declared of these persecutions 2. The cruell law of their condemnation 3. Now heare more what was the forme of inquisition which was as is witnessed in the second Apologie of Iustinus to this effect that they should sweare to declare the truth whether they were in very deed Christians or not and if they confessed then by the law the sentence of death proceeded Iust. Apol. 2. Neither yet were these tyrants and organes of SathaÌ„ thus contented with death onely to bereaue the life from the bodye The kindes of death were diuers and no lesse horrible then diuers Whatsoeuer the cruelnesse of mans inuention could deuise for the punishment of mans body was practised against the Christians as partly I haue mentioned before and more appeareth by the Epistle sent from the brethren of France hereafter following Craftie traynes outcries of enemies imprisonments stripes and scourgings drawings tearings stonings plates of iron layd to them burning hote deep dungeons racks strangling in prisons the teeth of wild beasts gridirons gibbets and gallowes tossing vpon the hornes of Buls Moreouer wheÌ„ they were thus killed their bodies laid in heaps and dogs there left to keep them that no man might come to bury them neither would any prayer obtayne them to be interred and buried Ex Epistola fratrum Viennensium ac Lugdunensium c. And yet notwithstanding for all these continual persecutions and horrible punishments the church of the christians daily increased deepely rooted in the doctrine of the Apostles and of men Apostolicall and watered plenteously with the bloud of Saintes as saith Nicephorus Tib. 3. Whereof let vs heare the worthy testimony of Iustinus Martyr in his Dialogue with Tripheus And that none saith he can terrifie or remoue vs which beleue in Iesus by this it daily appeareth for when we are slaine crucified cast to wild beastes into the fire or geuen to other torments yet we goe not from our confession but contrary the more crueltie and slaughter is wrought against vs the mo they be that come to pietie and faith by the name of Iesus no otherwise then if a man cut the vine tree the better the branches grow For the vine tree planted by God and Christ our Sauiour is his people Haec Iust. ¶ To comprehend the names and number of all the Martyrs that suffered in all these ten persecutions which are innumerable as it is vnpossible so it is hard in such varietie and diuersitie of matter to keepe such a perfect order and course of yeares and times that either some be not left out or that euery one bee reduced into his right place especially seeing the Authors themselues whome in this present worke we follow doe diuersly disagree both in the tymes in the names and also in the kynd of Martyrdome of them that suffered As for example where the common reading and opinion of the Church and the Epistles Decretall doe take Anacletus to succeed after
Phileas the byshop of the Thumitanes a man singularly well learned hath described in his epistle to the Thumitanes the copy wherof Eusebius hath in his 8. booke x. chapter out of the which we meane here briefly to recite somewhat Because sayth he euery man might torment the holy Martyrs as they listed themselues some beat them with cudgels some with rods some with whippes some with thongs and some with cordes and this example of beating was in sundry wise executed and with much crueltie For some of them hauyng their handes bound behynde their backes were lifted vp vpon tymber logs and with certaine instruments their members ioints were stretched forth whereon their whole bodies hanging were subiect to the will of the tormentors who were commaunded to afflict them with all maner of torments and not on their sides onely like as homicides were but vpon their bellies thighes and legges they scratched them with the talents and clawes of wylde beasts Some other were seene to hang by one hand vpon the engine wherby they might feele the more grieuous pullyng out of the rest of their ioyntes and members Some other were suche sort bound vnto pillers with their faces turned to the wall hauing no stay vnder their feete and were violently wayed downe with the payse of their bodies that by reason of their straight binding they beyng drawn out might be more greuously tormēted And this suffered they not onely during the tyme of their examination and while the Shiriffe had to do with them but also the whole day long And whilest the Iudge went thus from one to another he by his authoritie appointed certaine officers to attende vpon those he left and not to be let downe vntill either through the intollerablenes of the payne or by the extremitie of cold they being neare the point of death should be let downe and so were they haled vpon the ground And further they were commaunded that they should shew not so much as one sparke of mercy or compassion vpon vs but so extremely and furiously did deale with vs as though our soules and bodies should haue died together And therfore yet an other torment our aduersaries deuised to augmēt our former plagues After that they had most lamentably beaten them they deuised moreouer a new kinde of racke wherein they lying vpright were stretched by both the feete aboue the fourth stop or hole with sharpe shels or shares strowed vnder them after a strange kind of engine to vs here vnknowen Other some were cast downe vpon the pauement where they were oppressed so thicke and so grieuously with tormentes that it is not almost to be thought what afflictions they suffred Thus they lying in paines and torments some died therwith not a little shaming and confounding their enemies by their singular pacience Some halfe dead and halfe aliue were thrust into prison where shortly after by paynes and woundes of their bodies they ended their bitter life Some again beyng cured of their woundes by their indurance in prison were more confirmed who beyng put to the choise whether they would come to their cursed sacrifice and enioy their wicked libertie or els sustaine the sentence of death did willingly and without delay abide the extremitie remembring with themselues what is written in the Scriptures He that sacrificeth sayth he to straunge Gods shall be exterminate c. Item thou shalt not haue any strange Gods beside me c. Thus much wrote Phileas to the Congregation where he was Bishop before he receyued the sentence of death beyng yet in bandes and in the same exhorteth his brethren constantly to persist after his death in the truth of Christ professed Euseb Lib 8. cap. 10. Sabellicus in his vij Ennead and viij booke sayth that that christened man which tore and pulled down the wicked Edict of the Emperour in Nicomedia beyng stript and beaten that the bones appeared and after washed in salt and vineger was then slaine with this cruell kind of torment But Platina writeth that Dorotheus and Gorgonius exhorteth him to dye so constantly But as all their torments were for their horriblenesse meruailous and notable and therewithall so studiously deuised no lesse greuous and sharpe so notwithstāding therwith were these Martyrs neither dismayd nor ouercome but rather thereby confirmed and strengthened so merily and ioyfully sustained they what so euer was put vnto them Eusebius sayth that he himselfe beheld and sawe the huge and great persecution that was done in Thebaide in so much that the very swordes of the hangmen and persecutors beyng blunt with the great and often slaughter they themselues for wearines sate downe to rest them and other were fayne to take their places And yet all this notwithstanding the murthered christians shewed their meruailous readines willingnes and diuine fortitude which they were indued with with stout courage ioy and smiling receiuing the sentence of death pronounced vpon thē and song euen vnto the last gaspe Hymnes and Psalmes to God So did also the Martyrs of Alexandria as witnesseth Phileas aboue mentioned The holy martyrs saith he keping Christ in their myndes beyng led with the loue of better rewards sustained not onely at one tyme whatsoeuer labour and deuised punishments they had to lay vpon them but now also the second tyme haue done the same and haue borne all the manaces of the cruell souldiors not onely in wordes wherwith they threatned them but also whatsoeuer in deede and worke they could deuise to their destruction and that with most manly stomackes excluding all feare with the perfection of their inspeakable loue towards Christ whose great strength and fortitude cānot by wordes bee expressed And Sulpitius sayth in the second booke of his sacred history that then the Christians with more greedie desire preased and sought for Martyrdome then now they desire bishoprikes Although some there were also as I haue sayd that with feare and threatnings and by their owne infirmitie were ouercome and went backe Eusebius Lib. 8. cap. 3. Amongst whom Socrates nameth Miletius Lib. 1. cap. 6. and Athanasius in his second Apologie nameth the bishop of Licus a Citie in little Egypt whom Peter the Bishop of Alexandria excōmunicated for that in this persecution he sacrificed to the Gentiles Gods Of the fall of Marcellinus the Byshop of Rome I will speake afterwardes For he beyng perswaded by others and specially of the Emperour Dioclesian himselfe did sacrifice whereupon he was excōmunicated but afterwardes he repēting the same was agayne receaued into the congregation and made Martyr as Platina and the compiler of the booke of the general coūcels affirme The number of the Martyrs increased daily sometymes tenne sometymes twenty were slaine at once some whiles 30. and oftentymes 60. and otherwhiles a C. in one day men women and children by diuers kindes of death Eusebius Lib 8. cap. 9 also Damasus Beda Orosius Honorius and others do witnes that there were slayne
reuoke this thy wickednes Behold what pleasures thou maiest enioy by the honorable house thou camest of Thy fallen house and progenie followeth thee to death with lamentable teares the heauy nobility of thy kindred maketh dolfull lamētation for thee What meanest thou wilt thou kill thy self so younge a flower so neare these honorable mariages and great dowries that thou mayest enioy Doth not the glistering and golden pompe of the bried bed moue thee Doth not the reuerende pietie of thyne Auncitours pricke thee whom is it not but that this thy rashnes and weakenes sorroweth behold here the furniture ready prepared for thy terrible death Either shalt thou be beheaded with this sword or else with these wild beastes shalt thou be pulled in peeces or els thou being cast into the fiery flames shal be although lamentably bewailed of thy friends and kinsfolks consumed to ashes What great matter is it for thee I pray thee to escape al this If thou wilt but take put with thy fingers a little salt incense into the censers thou shalt be deliuered from al these punishmēts To this Eulalia made no aunswere but being in a great furye shee spitteth in the tirauntes face she throweth downe the Idoles and spurneth abroad with her feete the heape of incense prepared to the censers then without further delay the hangmen with both their strengthes tooke her puld one ioynte from an other and with the talantes of wilde beastes scotched her sides to the hard bodes she all this while singing and praysing God in this wise Beholde O Lord I will not forget thee what a pleasure is it for them O Christ that remember thy triumphant victoryes to attayne vnto these high dignities and still calleth vpon that holy name al stained and embrued with her owne bloude This sang she with a bold stomacke neither lamentyngly nor yet wepingly but being glad and mery abandonyng from her mind all heauines and griefe when as out of a warme fountain her mangled members with fresh bloud bathed her white and fayre skinne Then proceede they to the last and final torment which was not only the goring and wounding of her mangled body with the yron grat hurdle and terrible harrowing of her flesh but burned on euery side with flaming torches her tormented brests and sides her heare hanging about her shoulders in two parts deuided wherewith her shamefast chastitie and virginitie was couered reached downe to the ground but when the cracking flame fleeth about her face kindled by her heare and reacheth the crowne of her head thē she desiring swift death opened her mouth and swalowed the flame and so rested shee in peace The sayde Prudentius and Ado also Equilinus adde moreouer writinge of a white doue issuing out of her mouth at her departing and of the fire quenched about her body also of her body couered miraculously wyth snow with other things more wherof let euery reader vse hys owne iudgement As ye haue heard now the Christian life and constant death of Eulalia much worthy of praise commendation So no lesse commendation is worthely to be giuen to blessed Agnes that constant Damsell and martir of God who as she was in Rome of honorable parentes begotten so lyeth she there as honorably intombed buried Whiche Agnes for her vnspotted vndefiled virginitie deserueth no greater praise and commendation then for her willing death and martirdome Some writers make of her a long discourse more in my iudgement then necessary reciting diuers sundry straunge miracles by her done in the processe of her history which partly for tediousnes partly for the doubtfulnes of the author whome some father vpon Ambrose and partly for the straungenes and incredibilitie therof I omit being satisfied with that which Prudentius brefly writeth of her as foloweth Shee was sayth hee yong not mariageable when first she being dedicated to Christ boldly resisted the wicked Edictes of the Emperor least that through idolatry she might haue denied and forsaken the holy faith but yet first proued by diuers and sundry pollicies to induce her to the same as now with the flattering and intising words of the Iudge now with the threatnings of the storming executioner stoode notwythstanding stedfast in al couragious strength and willingly offered her body to hard painful torments not refusing as she sayd to suffer whatsoeuer it should be yea though it were death it selfe Then said the cruell tyraunt if to suffer paine torment be so easie a matter and lightly regarded of thee that thou accomptest thy life nothing woorth yet the shame of thy dedicated or vowed virginity is a thing more regarded I know and esteemed of thee Wherefore this is determined that vnles thou wilt make obeisaunce to the aultar of Minerua and aske forgiuenes of her for thy arrogancy thou shalt be sent or abandoned to the cōmon stewes or brothelhouse Agnes the virgine with more spirit and vehemency inneieth against both Minerua her verginitie the youth in sculs flocke and runne togither and craue that they may haue Agnes their ludibrious pray thē saith Agnes Christ is not so forgetfull of those that be hys that he wil suffer violently to be taken frō them their golden and pure chastitie neither wil he leaue them so destitute of helpe he is alwaies at hande and ready to fight for such as are shamfast and chast virgines neither suffereth he his giftes of holy integritie or chastitie to be polluted Thou shalt sayth shee willingly bathe thy sworde in my bloud if thou wilt but thou shalt not defile my body with filthy lust for any thing thou canst doe She had no sooner spoken these wordes but he commaunded that she should be set naked at the corner of some streete whiche place at that time such as were strumpets cōmonly vsed the greater part of the multitude both sorrowing and shaming to see so shameles a sight went their wayes some turninge their heades some hiding their faces But one amongst the rest with vncircumcised eies beholding the Damsell and that in such opprobrious wise behold a flame of fire lyke vnto a flash of lightning falleth vpō him striketh his eies out of his head wherupon he for dead falling to the groūd sprauleth in the chanel durt whose cōpanions taking him vp carrying him away bewayled him as a dead man But the virgin for this her miraculous deliuery from the danger and shame of that place singeth prayses vnto God and Christ. There be saith Prudentius that report how that shee beyng desired to pray vnto Christ for the partie that a litle before with fire frō heauen for hys incōtinency was stricken was restored by their prayer both vnto hys perfect health sight But blessed Agnes after that she had climed this her first griefe and step vnto the heauēly pallace forthwith began to clime an other for fury ingendring now the mortall
brethren Soone after a Sonne of wicked Edricus by the minde as appeared afterward of his father espied when king Edmond was at the draught with a speare some say with a long knife thrust him into the fundameÌ„t wherof the sayd Edmond shortlye after dyed after that he had raigned two yeres He left behinde him two sonnes Edmond and Edward whom Edricke the wicked Duke after the death of their father tooke from theyr mother not knowing yet of the death of Edmond her husband preseÌ„ted them to king Canutus saluting him in these words Aue Rex solus Thus Canutus after the death of Edmond Irenside was king alone of the whole realme of englaÌ„d And afterward by the aduise of his counsayle he sent the foresayd sonnes of Edmond IroÌ„side to his brother Suanus king of Sueueland to be slayne who abhorring that deed sent them to Salomon king of HuÌ„gary where Edmond being maried to the kings daughter dyed Edward was maried to Agatha daughter of his brother Henry the 4. Emperour When Canutus was stablished in the kingdom he called a parliamentat London where among other things there debated it was propounded to the bishops BaroÌ„s and Lordes of the parliament there present whether that in the compositioÌ„ made betwene Edmund and Canutus any speciall remembraunce was made for the children or brethren of Edmund for any partition of any part of the land Wherunto the english Lordes falsly â—latteryng with the foraine kyng and speaking against their own mynds as also against their natiue countrey aunswered and sayd nay Affirming moreouer with an oth for the kings pleasure that they to the vttermost of their powers would put of the bloud of Edmund in all that they might By reason of which answer and promise they thought many of theÌ„ to haue purchased with the king great fauour But by the iust retribution of God it chaunced farre otherwise For many of them or the most part such especially as Canutus did perceiue to be sworne before tyme to Edmund his heyres and also considering that they were natiue englishmen he mistrusted and disdained euer after In so much that some he exiled a great sort he beheaded some by Gods punishment died sodainly Among whom wicked Edricke also the traytour although with hys sugred wordes he continued a while in the kings fauour at leÌ„gth escaped not condigne reward for his deceiuable dealyng For as the history of IornaleÌ„sis recordeth as the king was in his palace beyond Thames this Edricke beyng belike accused or els suspected of the king before comming vnto him began to reckon vp his benefites labours bestowed for his sake First in forsaking and betraying Egelred then in slaying king Edmund his sonne with many such other deedes moe which all for his sake he had done Well saith the king thou hast here rightly iudged thy selfe and worthily thou shalt dye for slaying thy naturall Prince my sworne brother And so commaunded him to be bound immediately hand and foote to be thrown into Thames Some stories say that when he had saluted the king with Aue rex solus and shewed him the slaying of Edmund Canutus promising that he would make him therfore higher then all the lordes of the realme commaunded his head to be striken off to be set vpon London bridge and hys body to be cast in the towne ditche And thus with shame ended he his wretched life as al they commonly do which with like dissimulatioÌ„ seeke the destruction of their Prince and of their countrey This Canutus shortlye after the death of king Edmond by the counsayle of Edricke exiled Edmond being brother to King Edmund called Rex rusticorum the king of Choorâ—es But afterward he was reconciled agayne to the kinges fauour and lastly slayne by certayne of the Kinges Secretaryes or Seruauntes Also through the counsayle of the sayd Edricke and of Emma his wife he sent the two Sonnes of Edmond Ironside Edmond and Edward to his brother Suanus king of Denmark to be slaine as is aboue sayd In this meane time Suanus king of Denmarke brother to Canutus died Wherfore that land fel to Canutus which anon after sailed thether and tooke thereof possession And after he had set it in an order he retourned into England and maried Emma late wife before of Egelred and by her had a soÌ„ne called Herdeknight or Hardeknoutus Moreouer this Canutus assembled a Parliament at Oxford where it was agreed that Englishmen Danes should holde the lawes made by king Edgar because they were thought so good resonable aboue any other lawes Thus the Danes being in England began by little little to be Christen men And Canutus went to Rome so returning againe to England gouerned that lande the space of 20. yeares leauing after him two sonnes Harold Hardeknoutus which Hardeknoutus was made king of Denmarke in his fathers time Harold called Harefoote for his deliuernes and swiftnes sonne to Canutus by Elgina his first wife began his raigne ouer England an 1039. Of him is little left in memory for he raigned but 4. yeres saue that he banished his stepmother Emma tooke her goods iewels from her Hardeknoutus being king of Denmarke and second sonne to Canutus by his last wife Emma was next King of England In the time of these Danish kings there was one Godwyn an earle in England which had bene before in great fauour with Canutus for his actes done in Denmarke against the Northwegians and afterward maryed yâ— sister some say the daughter of Canutus This Godwyn was of a cruell and subtill wit as he declared no lesse by the two sonnes of king Egelred For when these two aforesaid whose names were Alfride and Edward came from NormaÌ„die into England to visit their mother Emma and brought with them a great company of Normands this Godwine hauing a daughter called Godith whome he thought to marry to Edward set him vp to be King to bring his purpose about vsed this practise that is to perswade king Hardeknoue the Lordes not to suffer those Normandes to be within the realme for ieoperdie but rather to punish them for example By which meanes he gat authoritie to order the matter himselfe wherefore he 〈◊〉 them on Guild downe and there most wretchedly murthered or rather Martyred the most number of the Normandes and that innocently For as Swanus before had tithed the Monkes of Canterburie so heâ— with the cruell coÌ„pany of english soldiors slew ix of the saide Normands and saued the x. And yet passing the furie of Swanus as not contented with that tiranny he tithed againe the sayde tithe and slew euery x. knight and that by cruel tormeÌ„t as winding their guts out of their bodies as writeth Ranulphus And among other put out the eyes of the elder brother Alfridus and sent him to an Abbey of Elie where he being fed wyth breade and water endured not
not rule al things as the other Pope did thâ—nking therby that he would haue done all thyngs to their commoditie but they founde it otherwise For he made al them which were excommunicate to pay double and treble ere they could be restored againe to their former liuings And in the selfe same yeare as king Ihon was come to Swinestead Abbey not farre from Lincolne hee rested there two dayes where as most writers testifie he was most traiterously poisoned by a monke of that Abby of the secte of the Listercians or S. Bernardes brethren called Simon of Swinsted As concerning the noble personage of this Prince this witnes geueth Roger Houeden therein Princeps quidem magnus erat sed minus foelix atque vt Marius vtramque fortunam expertus Doubtles sayth he king Iohn was a mighty prince but not so fortunate as many were Not altogether vnlike to Marius the noble Romaine he rasted of Fortune both wayes bountifull in mercie in warres sometime he wanne sometime againe he lost Munisicus ac liberalis in exteros fuit sed proditionis causa suorum depraedator plus aduenis quam suis confidens Hee was also very bounteous liberal vnto strangers but of his owne people for their daily treasons sake hee was a great oppressor so that he trusted more to foreiners then to them Among other diuers and sundry coÌ„ditions belonging to this king one there was which is not in him to be reprehended but commended rather for that being far from the superstition which kings at that time were commonly subiect vnto regarded not the popish Masse as in certaine Chronicles wryting of him may be collected for so I finde testified of him by Mat Parisiensis that the king vpon a time in his hunting comming where a very fat stag was cut vp and opened or howe the Hunters terme it I cannot tell the king beholding the fatnesse and the lyking of the stagge See saith he how easily and happily he hath liued and yet for all that he neuer heard any Masse It is recorded and founde in the Chronicle of William Caxton called fructus temporum and in the 7. Booke The foresayde monke Simon being much offended with certaine talke that the king had at his table concernyng Ludouicke the Frenche kings sonne which then had entred and vsurped vpon him did cast in hys wicked heart howe he most speedely might bring him to his ende And first of all he counselled with his Abbot shewing hym the whole matter and what hee was minded to doe Hee alledged for himselfe the Prophecie of Cayphas Iohn 11. saying It is better that one man die then all the people should perish I am well contented sayeth he to loose my life and so become a Martyr that I may vtterly destroy this tyraunt With that the Abbot did weepe for gladnes and much commended hys feruent zeale as hee tooke it The Monke then being absolued of his Abbot for doyng this acte aforehand went secretely into a garden vppon the backe side and finding there a most venemous Toad he so pricked hym and pressed him with his penknife that he made him vomit all the poyson that was wythin hym This done he conueyed it into a cuppe of wine and with a smiling and flattering countenance he sayde thus to the King If it shall like your Princely maiestie here is inch a cuppe of wine as yee neuer dronke a better before in all your life time I trust this Wassail shal make al England glad And with that he dranke a great draught thereof the king pledging him The Monke anone after went to the farmerye and there died his guts gushing out of his belly and had continually from thence fooâ—th three Monkes to sing Masse for his soule confirmed by theyr generall chapter What became after that of king Iohn yee shall knowe right well in the processe following I woulde ye did marke well the wholesome proceedings of these holy votaries howe vertuously they obey their kings whome God hath appoynted and howe religiously they bestow their confessions absolutions and masses The king within a short space after feeling great griefe in his body asked for Symon the monke and aunswere was made that he was departed this life Then god haue mercy vpon me sayd he I suspected as much after he had sayd that al England should therof be glad he ment now I perceiue then of his owne generation With that he commanded his chariot to be prepared for he was not able to ride So went he from thence to Slaford Castel and from thence to Newerke vpon Trent and there wtin lesse then 3. daies he died Upon his death bed he much repented his former life and forgaue all them with a pitifull heart that had done him iniury desiring that his elder sonne Beurie might be admonished by his example and to learne by his misfortunes to be natural fauourable gentle and louing to his natiue people When his body was enbaumed and spiced as the maner is of kings his bowels or intrailes were buried at Cropton Abbey which was of the secte of Premonstratenses or Chanons of S. Norbert His hired souldiours both Englishmen and straungers were still about him and folowed his corpes triumphantly in their armour till they came to the Cathedrall Church of Worcester and there honourably was he buried by Siluester the bishop betwixt S. Oswalde and S. Wolstane 2. Byshoppes of that Church He died in the yeare of our Lord 1216. the 19. day of October after he had raigned in suche calamitie by the subtile conueyaunce of his Cleargie 18. yeares 6. monethes and odde dayes So soone as Kyng Iohn was dead and buryed as is said afore the Princes Lordes and Barons so many as were of his part as wel of straungers as of them that were borne heere by counsaile of the Legate Gualo gathered themselues together and all with one consent proclaimed Henrie his sonne for their king Of whome more shall followe the Lorde willing hereafter Many opinions are among the Chroniclers of the death of king Iohn Some of them doe wryte that he died of sorrowe and heauinesse of heart as Polydorus some of surfetting in the night as Radulphus Niger some of a bloudy flixe as Roger Houeden some of a burning agewe some of a cold sweat some of eating apples some of eating peares some plummes c. * The Description of the poysoning of King Iohn by a Monke of Swinestead Abbeye in Lincolneshire In Gisburn I finde otherwise who dissenting from other sayeth that he was poysoned with a dish of Peares which the Monke had prepared for the king therewith to poison him Who asking the king whether he would taste of his fruite being bid to bring them in according to the kings bidding so did At the bringing in whereof saith the said story the pretious stones about the K. began to swete In somuch that the king misdoubting some poyson demanded of
darkenesse because nothing is hid which shal not be disclosed and nothing couered that shal not be knowen And therfore the thing that was sayd in the darkenesse let vs say in the light and the thyng that we haue heard in the eare let vs preache vppon the house toppes I therefore as I haue before sayd so say that if the high bishop of Rome calling himselfe the seruant of God and the chiefe Vicare of Christ in this world do make and iustify many lawes contrary to the gospell of Iesu Christ then is he the chiefe of many whych comming in the name of Christ haue said I am Christ who haue seduced many Which is the first part of the first conclusion and is manifest For Christ is called of Hebrues the very same that we call annoynted And amongest them there was a double sort of legall annoynting by the lawe the one of kings and the other of Priestes And aswell were the kynges as the priestes called in the lawe Christes The kings as in the Psalme The kings of the earth stoode vp together and the Princes assembled them selues in one agaynst the Lorde and against hys Christ or annoynted And in the bookes of the kings very often are the kinges called Christes And our Sauiour was Christ or annoynted king because hee was a king for euermore vpon the throne of Dauid as the Scriptures doe very oftentimes witnesse The Priestes also were called annoynted as where it is wrytten Doe not yee touch my Christes that is mine annoynted ones and be not ye spitefull against my Prophetes And so was our Sauiour Christ a Priest for euer according to the order of Melchisedech Seyng then that the Byshops of Rome do say that they are the high Priestes they say also therein that they are kynges because they say that they haue the spirituall sword perteinyng to their Priesthode and the corporall sword which agreeth for a kynges state So is it playne that really in very deede they say that they are Christs albeit that expresly they be not called Christes Now that they come in the name of Christ it is manifest because they say that they are his principal Vicares in this world ordeined of Christ specially for the gouernement of the Christian Churche Therefore seyng they say that really and in very deede they are Christes and the chief frendes of Christ If they make and iustifie many lawes contrary to the Gospell of Iesu Christ then is it playne that they themselues in earth are the principal Antichristes because there is no worse plague and pestilence then a familiar enemy And if in secret they be agaynst Christ and yet in open appearaunce they say that they are his frendes they are somuch the more meete to seduce and deceiue the ChristiaÌ„ people because that a manifest enemy shall haue much a doe to deceaue a man because men trust him not but a priuey enemy pretendyng outward frendshyp may easly seduce yea those that be wise But that this matter may the more fully be knoweÌ„ let vs see what is the law doctrine of Christ that ought to be obserued of all faithfull people which beyng knowen it shal be an easy thing to see if the bishop of Rome doe make or maintaine any lawes contrary to the law of the gospell of Iesu Christ. I say then that the lawe of Christ is charitie whych is the perfect loue of God and of Christ. This thing is plaine and manifest For Christ being demaunded of a certayne doctour of the law What is the greatest commaundement in the lawe answered Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soule and with all thy minde This is the principall greatest commandement And as for the second it is like vnto this Thou shalt loue thy neighbor as thine owne selfe In these two commaundements doth the whole law and Prophets depend And in an other place Christ sayeth All maner of things therefore that you would that men should do to you the same also do ye vnto them For thys is the lawe and the Prophets And in Iohn the 13. chap. sayth Christ. And now doe I say vnto you I geue you a new commandement that you shuld loue eche other as I loued you in like maner that you also shuld loue one another In this shal all men know that you are my disciples if you shall haue loue one towardes an other And Iohn 15. chapter This is my commaundemeÌ„t that you loue together as I haue loued you Greater loue then this hath no body that a man shuld geue his life for his frendes The Apostle Peter sayth in his first Epistle 4. chapter Aboue all things hauing continually charity one towards an other for charitye couereth the multitude of sinnes Be yee harborers and intertaine ye one an other without grudging euery one as hee hath receaued grace so let him bestowe it vpon an other man as the good stewards of the manifold graces of God If any maÌ„ speak let him speake as the word of God If any man doe ought for an other let it be don with singlenes and vnfained verity ministred of God to vs ward that in all thyngs God may be honoured through Iesus Christ our Lord. Iames in his Epistle the 2. chapter If ye performe the royal lawe accordingly to the Scriptures thou shalt loue thy neighbour ye do wel But if ye be parcial in receiuing and preferring mens personages ye worke wickednes being blamed of the law as transgressors And againe so speake ye and so do ye as ye should nowe begin to be iudged by the law of libertie What shall it auaile my brethren if a man say he haue faith and haue no workes Neuer shall that faith be able to saue him For if a brother or sister be naked and haue neede of daily foode and some of you say to them goe ye in peace be ye made warme and satisfied and if ye shall not geue those things that are necessary for the body what shall it auaile Euen so faith if it haue not workes is dead in it selfe Iohn in his first epistle the 3. chap. This is the tidings whych you haue heard from the beginning that you shuld loue one another And againe we know that we are traâ—slated from death to life if we loue the brethren He that loueth not abideth in death And again herein do we know the loue of God because that he hath laide downe hys life for vs we ought to lay down our liues for the brethren He that shall haue the substaunce of thys world and shall see his brother haue neede and shall shut up hys bowelles from him howe abideth the loue of God in hym My little children let vs not loue in worde nor tounge but in deede and truth And againe 4. chap. Most dearly beloued let vs loue together For loue is of God he that loueth
the Turke and to deliuer the other parties of Christendome from the feare of the Turke an 1542. Whiche Ioachimus at his first setting foorth appeared so couragious and valiaunt as though he would haue conquered the whole world but this great heate was so slaked in short time by the Turke that before any great ieoperdy was offered vnto him he was glad to to be discharged of the viage and with shame enough returned home againe And would God he had left behynde him in the field no more but his owne shame For the enemies hauing intelligēce before of his cowardly departure thinking to worke some poynt of maistry or victory before his goyng did set vpon the right wing of his army which chiefly consisted of Dutchmen of low Germany out of the which they tooke awaye with them aboue 500. strong and valiaunt souldiours not killing them but carying them away aliue For whome it had bene muche better to haue stand to their weapon and to haue dyed manfully vppon the turkes then by yealding themselues to be disgarnished of weapon and armoure and so to be lefte to the cursed curtesie of the foule Turkes To whome what curtesie was sheweed by the sequele did appeare For after the Turkes had led them out of Hungary into their own dominiō after a most horrible beastly sort they disfigured mangled them so sent them abroad through all Grecia to be witnessrs of the Turkes victory Their kind of punishment was thus First they had their right arme thrust through with an iron red hot whereby they should be vnable and vnmeet to all labour warefare Secondly theyr heades were shauen to the very sculles after the maner of our Friers monks when they are newly shauen Thirdly they had all their priuy members cut of frō their bodies to the intent to make thē vnfruitful for propagation which wound was so grieuous vnto them that the greatest part of them died therupon the few that recouered the torment therof led a life more bitter more miserable then death it selfe And this kinde of cruelty was executed in order vpō them all In much like sort did cruell Pharao exercise hys tyranny agaynst the people of God in Egipt who to destroy the generation of them caused all the male children to be drowned in the riuer Whereby it is the more to be hoped that seing the tiranny of this turkish Pharao is come to such an extremetie the mercifull goodnesse of God will the more shortly send some Moses or other vnto vs for our speedy deliueraunce This was by the cruell Turkes done an 1542. witnessed by Ioannes Ramus which not onely writeth the story but by the testimony also of hys owne eyes recordeth the same to be true beholding with his eies one of the same number in the city of Uienna who hauing wife and children in Bruxelles eyther for shame or sorrow had no minde to returne home to his own house Ex Ioan Ramo But to returne agayne to the city of Buda from whēre we haue digressed here is not to be pretermitted what falshood and what cruelty the turkes vsed toward the Christians there after theyr victory For after that Solyman the Turke vpon the yelding and submission of the men of Buda had geuen to them his promise of safety and life within short time the sayd turke picking a quarrell with them for selling Oxen vnto the Christians and for barganing with them slue all the Magistrates of the sayde Citty of Buda like as in all other Citties where so euer the Christians yelded vnto him he neuer or very rarely kept his promise with them neyther did euer any christians speed better with the turke then they which most constantly did resist him And as hys promise with the Magistrates of Buda was false and wretched so hys cruelty with the souldiors therof was more much notorious abhominable For in the expugnation of Buda among that rest whiche were slayne ij cohortes or bands of Christian souldiors came alyue to his hands To whom when he seemed at the first to graūt pardon of life he commaunded to put on their armour agayn and to dispose themselues in order and battayle array after the warlike maner of the christians whiche when they had accomplished readily according to his commaundement he riding about the ranckes of them had dilligently vewed and be holden them a certain space at length he commaunded thē to put of their armour againe which done certaine of the tallest and strongest of them he pyked out the residue he commanded by his souldiors comming behinde them with swordes to be cut in peeces and slayne Of the other whome he had elected and chosen some he set for markes and buttes to be shot at some he appointed to his two sonnes for them to slash with their swordes try theyr strength which of them could geue the deper woūd and as they termed it the fayrer blowe whereby moste bloud might follow out of their Christian bodies Ex Mart. Stella De successibus Turcarum After the winning of Buda the Turke purposing not so to cease before he had subdued and brought vnder his obedience all Hungary proceeding further with his armye first brought vnder a strong hold of christians named Pestum or Pesta where a great number of Christian souldiours partly were slayne partly were ledde awaye to more cruell affliction Then he came to an other Castle called Walpo situate in the confines of Bosna Croatia and Hungary Whiche forte or castle he besieged three mōthes while no rescue nor ayd was sent vnto them neyther from Ferdinandus king of Hungary nor from any other christian Prince or Princes Whereupon at length the forte was geuen vp to the Turke but more through the false treachery or cowardly hart of the souldiours then of the Captaine Wherein is to be noted an example not vnworthy of memory For when the cowardly souldiours eyther for feare or flattery wold needs surrender themselues the peece vnto the Turke contrarye to the minde of the Captaine whiche in no case would agree to theyr yelding they thinking to find fauour with the turke apprehended theyr captaine and gaue him to Solyman But see howe the iustice of God sometymes by the hands of the enemy disposeth the end of things to the rewarding of vertue punishing of vice For where they thought to saue themselues by the daunger of the faithfull Captain the euent turned cleane contrary so that the Turk was to the captayne bountifull and very liberalll and the souldiours notwithstanding that they had all yelded thēselues yet were all put to death and commaunded pitiously to be slayne Ex Ioan. Martino Stella De Turcarum in Hungaria successibus c. There is in Hungary an other towne bearing the name of fiue Churches called Quiquecclesiensis partly spoyled before as is aboue mentioned pag. 751. but nowe thorough the losse of Walpo by the
And as these suffered to in Asia so in Rome suffered Felicitas with her 7 children who vnder this M. Antoninus Verus sustayned also the cruelty of this persecution The names of whose children Bergomensis and other histories doe thus recite Ianuarius Felix Philippe Siluanus Alexander Vitalis Martialis Of whom her first and eldest sonne Ianuarius after he was whipped and scourged with roddes was prest to death with leaden waightes Felix and Phillippe had their braynes beaten out with maules Siluanus was cast downe headlong and had his necke broken Furthermore Alexander Vitalis and Martialis was beheaded Last of all Felicitas the mother otherwise then the accustomed maner was for such as hadde borne Children was slayne with the sword Ex Supplem In the rage of this fourth persecution vnder the raigne of Antonius Pius suffered also good Iustinus a man in learning and Philosophy excellent a great defender of Christian Religion Who first exhibited unto the Emperour to the Senate a booke or Apologie in the defence of the Christians and afterward himselfe also dyed a Martyr Of whom in the history of Euseb. Lib. 4. cap. 16. it is thus recorded That about what tyme or a little before that Polycarpus with other diuers Sainctes suffered Martyrdome in Pargamopolis a Cittie of Asia this Iustinus as is aforesayd preâ—ented a booke in defence of our doctrine to the Emperour to wit vnto Antonius and to the Senate After which he was also crowned with like Martyrdome vnto those whome he in his booke had defended through the malicious meanes and crafty circumuention of Crescens This Crescens was a Philosopher confirming hys lyfe and maners to the Cynical sect whom for because this Iustinus had reproued in open audience and had borne away the victory of the trueth which he defended he therefore as much as in him lay did worke procure vnto him this crowne of Martyrdome And this did also Iustine him selfe a Philosopher no lesse famous by hys profession foresee and declare in hys foresayd Apology telling almost all those thinges before hand which should happen vnto him by these words saying And I looke after this good turne that I be slayne goyng by the way eyther of some of those whom I haue named and to haue my braynes beaten out with a bat or els of Crescens whom I cannot call a Phylosopher but rather a vayne boaster For it is not conuenient to call him a Philosopher whiche openly professeth thinges to him vnknowne and whereof he hath no skil saying and reporting of vs that the Christians be vngodly irreligiouse And all to please and flatter them which are reduced by errour For whether he obiecteth against vs the doctrine of the Christians whiche he hath not read yet is he very malicious and worse then the vnlearned ideotes who for the most part vse not to dispute or iudge of thinges they know not and to beare witnes of the fame Or put case that he had read them yet vnderstandeth he not the maiestie of the matters therein conteined or if peraduenture he vnderstandeth them and doth it for thys purpose that he would not be counted as one of them then is he so much the more wicked and malicious and the bondslaue of vyle beastly both fame and feare For this I testifie of him geuing you truely to vnderstand that for a truth which I declare vnto you how that I haue apposed him and haue put vnto him many questions whereby I know and perceaue that he vnderstandeth nothing But if so be that this our disputatioÌ„ with him hath not come vnto your eares I am ready to communicate vnto you agayn those questions which I demaunded of him whiche things shall not be vnfit for your Princely honour to heare But if ye knowe and vnderstand both what thinges I haue examined him of as also what aunswere he hath made it shal be apparant vnto you that he is altogether ignoraunt of our doctrine and learning or els if he knoweth the same he dare not vtter it for feare of hys auditors which thing as I sayd before is a proofe that he is no Philosopher but a slaue to vayne glory which maketh none accompt of that which his own Mayster Socrates had in so great estimation And thus much of Iustine out of Iustine himselfe Now to verifie that which Iustine here of him selfe doth prophecie that Crescens would and did procure his death Tacianus a man brought vp of a childe in the institutions of the Gentiles and obtayned in the same not a little fame and which also left behinde him many good monumentes and Commentaries writeth in hys booke agaynst the Gentiles in this sort And Iustine sayth he that most excellent learned man full well spake and vttered his minde that the afore recited men were lyke vnto theeues or lyers by the high way side And in the sayd book speaking afterward of certaine Philosophers the sayd Tacianus inferreth thus Crescens therefore sayth he when he came first into that great Cittie passed all other in the vicious loue of children and was very much geuen to couetousnes and where he taught that men ought not to regard death he himself doth feare death that he did all his indeuour to oppresse Iustine with death as with the most greatest euill that was and all because that Iustine speaking trueth reproued the Philosophers to be men onely for the belly and deceauers and this was the cause of Iustines Martyrdome Hierome in his Ecclesiasticall Catalogue thus writeth Iustine when in the Cittie of Rome he had his disputations and had reprooued Crescens the Cinike for a great blasphemer of the Christians for a bellygod and a man fearing death and also a follower of lust and lechery at the last by his indeuour and conspiracie was accused to be a Christian and for Christ shed his bloud in the yeare of our Lord. 154. vnder Marcus Antonius as the Cronicles doe witnes Abb Vrsperg and Eusebius in his Cronicle in the xiii yeare of the Emperour Antoninus Among these aboue recited is also to be numbred Praxedis a blessed virgine the daughter of a Citizen of Rome who in the tyme of Anicetus there Byshop was so brought vp in the doctrine of Christ and so affected to hys religion that she with her sister Potentiana bestowed all her patrimony vpon the relieuing of poore Christians geuing all her time to fasting and prayer and to the burryng of the bodyes of the Martyrs And after she had made free all her famelie with her seruauntes after the death of her sister she also departed and was buryed in peace Under the same Antoninus also suffered Ptolomeus and Lucius for the confession of Christ in a Cittie of Egipt called Alexandria whose history because it is described in the Apology of Iustinus Martyr I thought therefore so to set forth the same as it is alledged in Eusebius declaring the manner and occasion
not the death of a sinner but is mercifull to the penitent came of their own accorde to the iudgement seate againe that they might bee examined of the Iudge And for that the Emperour had written backe againe to him that all the confessors should be punished and the other let go and that the Sessions or Sises were now begun which for the multitude that had repayre thether out of euery quarter was marueilous great he caused all the holy martirs to be brought thether that the multitude might beholde them once againe examined them and as many of them as he thought had the Romane fredome he beheaded the residue he gaue to the beastes to be deuoured And truely Christ was much glorified by those which a little before had denied him which againe contrary to the expectation of the Infidels confessed him euen to the death For they were examined a part froÌ„ the rest because of their deliuery which being found Confessours were ioined to the company of the martirs had with them their part But there were then abroade which had no saith at all neither yet so much as the feeling of the wedding garment nor any cogitation at all of the feare of God but blasphemed his waies by the lewd conuersatioÌ„ of their life euen such as were the children of damnation Al the residue ioined theÌ„selues to the congregation which wheÌ„ they were examined one Alexander a phrigian borne and a Phisition which had dwelt long in Fraunce and knowen almost of euery man for the loue he had to God boldnes of speaking neither was he voide of the Apostolicall loue this Alexander standing somewhat neare to the barre by signes and beckes perswaded such as were examined to confesse Christ so that by his countenaunce somtime reioising and some other while sorrowing he was descryed of the standers by The people not taking in good part to see those which now recanted by and by againe to sticke to their first confession they cried out against Alexander as one that was the cause of all this matter And when he was inforced by the Iudge and coÌ„maunded what Religion he was of he aunswered I am a Christian. He had no sooner spoken the worde but he was iudged to the beastes of them to be deuoured The next day following Attalus of whome I made mention a litle before and Alexander were brought foorth together for the gouernour graunting Attalus vnto the people was baited againe of the beasts When these men were brought to the scaffold and had taken a tast of all the instruments that there were prepared for their execution and had suffered the greatest agonie they could put theÌ„ to were also at the length slaine Of whome Alexander neuer gaue so much as a sigh nor held his peace but froÌ„ the bottome of his hart praised and praied to the Lorde But Attalus when he was set in the yron chaire and began to frye and the frying sauour of his burning body began to smell he spake to the multitude in the Romane language Behold sayth hee this is to eate mans flesh which you doe for we neither eate men nor yet coÌ„mit any other wickednes And being demaunded what was the name of their God our God saith he hath no such name as men haue Then said they now let vs see whether your God can helpe you and take you out of our handes or not After this being the last day of the spectacle Blandine againe one PoÌ„ticus a child of xv yeare old was brought forth and this was euery day to the intent they seing the punishment of their fellowes might be compelled thereby to sweare by their Idoles But because they constantly abode in their purpose defied their idols the whole multitude was in a rage with them neither sparing the age of the child nor fauoring the sexe of the woman but put them to all the punishment and paine they could deuise often times inforced them to sweare yet were not able to coÌ„pel them therevnto For Ponticus so being animated of his sister as the Heathâ—ikes standing by did see after he had suffered all torments and paynes gaue vp the ghost This blessed Blandina therefore being the last that suffered after she had like a worthy mother giuen exhortations vnto her children and had sent them before as conquerours to their heauenly kâ—ng and had called to her remembrance al their batels conflicts so much reioiced of her childrens death so hastened her owne as though she had bene bidden to a bridall not in case to be throwne to the wilde beastes After this her pittifull whipping her deliuery to the beasts her tormentes vpon the gridiron at the length she was put in a net and throwne to the wild Bull and when she had bene sufficiently gored wounded with the hornes of the same beast felt nothing of all that chaunced to her for the great hope and consolation she had in Christ heauenâ—y thinges was thus slaine insomuch that the verye Heathen men themselues confessed that there was neuer woman put to death of them that suffered so much as this woman did Neither yet was their furious crueltie thus asswaged against the Christians For the cruel barbarous people like wilde beastes when they be moued knew not when the time was to make an ende but inuented new sundry torments euery day against our bodies Neyther yet did it content theÌ„ when they had put the Christians to death for that they wanted the sense of men for which cause both the magistrate people were vexed at the very harts that the scripture might be fulfilled which saith he that is wicked let him be wicked stil and he that is iust let him be more iust For those which in their prisons they strangled they threw after to the dogs setting keepers both day and night to watch them that they shoulde not be buryed and bringing forth the remnaunt of their bones bodies some halfe burnt some left of the wilde beasts some al â—o be mangled also bringing forth heads of other which were cut of and like maner committed by them to the charge of the keepers to see them remaine vnburied The Gentiles grinded gnashed at the Christians with their teeth seeking which way they might amplifie their punishment some other flouted and mocked them extolling their idoles attributing vnto them the cause of thys crueltie and vengeaunce shewed to vs. Such which were of the meeker sort and seemed to be moued with some pyty did hit vs in the teeth saying where is your God that you so much boast of what helpeth this your religion for which you giue your liues These were the sundrye passions and affects of the Gentiles but the Christians in the meane while were in great heauines that they might not burye the bodies and reliques of the holy Martirs Neither could the dark night serue them to that purpose nor any
countrey to inhabite in the Citie This Fabian as is sayd thinking nothyng lesse then of any such matter sodenly cōmeth a Doue fleing from aboue and sitteth vpon his head Whereupon all the Congregation beyng moued wyth one minde and one uoyce dyd chose hym for their Bishop In the which function he remayned the space of xiij yeares as Eusebius writeth Damasus Marianus and Sabellicus say xiiij Yeares vnto the tyme of Decius Who whether for that Philippus had committed to him his treasures or whether for the hatred he bare to Philippus in the beginning of his raigne caused him to be put to death Sendyng out moreouer his Proclamation into al quarters that al which professed the name of Christ should be slayne To this Fabian be ascribed certaine ordinaunces as of consecrating new oyle once euery yeare and burnyng the olde of accusations against Byshops of appealing to the sea Apostolicke of not marying within the fift degree of communicating thrise a yeare of offering euery Sonday with such other things moe in his iij. Epistles decretall the which Epistles as by diuers other euidences may be supposed to be vntruely named vpon hym gyuing no signification of any matter agreing to that tyme so do I finde the most part of the iij. Epistle worde for word standing in the Epistle of Sixtus the 3. which folowed almost 200. yeares after him beside the vnseemely doctrine also in the ende of the sayd Epistles contayned where he contrary to the tenour of the Gospell applyeth remission of sinnes onely due to the bloud of Christ vnto the offerings of bread and wyne by men and women euery Sonday in the Church To this Fabianus wrote Origine De orthodoxia suae fidei that is of the rightnes of his fayth Whereby is to be vnderstode that he continued to the tyme of Decius some say also to the tyme of Gallus Of this Origene partly mention is touched before declaring how bolde and feruente he was in the dayes of Seuerus in assisting comforting exhorting and killing the Martyrs that were imprisoned suffered for the name of Christ with such daunger of his owne life that had not bene the singular protectiō of God he had bene stoned to death many tymes of the Heathen multitude Such great concourse of men and women was daily to his house to be catechised instructed in the christian fayth by him that souldiours were hyred of purpose to defend the place where he taught them Agayn such search sometymes was set for him that vnneth any shiftyng of place or countrey could couer him In those laborious trauailes and affayres of the Church in teaching writing confuting exhorting and expounding he continued about the space of 52. yeares vnto the tyme of Decius and Gallus Diuers and great persecutions he sustayned but specially vnder Decius as testifieth Eusebius in his sixt booke declaring that for the doctrine of Christ he sustained bands and torments in his body rackings with barres of iron dungeons besides terrible threates of death and burning All this he suffred in the persecution of Decius as Eusebius recordeth of him and maketh no relatiō of any further matter But Suidas and Nicephorus following the same sayth further concerning him that the sayd Origene after diuers and sundry other torments which he manfully and constantly suffred for Christ at length was brought to an altar where a foule filthy Ethiope was appointed to be and there this option or choyse was offred vnto him whether he would sacrifice to the idole or to haue his body polluted with that foule and ouglie Ethiope Then Origene sayth he who with a Philosophicall mynd euer kept his chastitie vndefiled much abhorring y◠filthy villany to be done to his body condescended to their request Wherupon the iudge puttyng incense in his hand caused him to set it to the fire vpō the altar For the which impietie he afterward was excommunicated of the Church Epiphanius writeth that he beyng vrged to sacrifice to Idols and takyng the boughes in his hand wherwith the Heathen were woont to honour their Gods called vpon the Christians to cary them in the honour of Christ. The which fact the church of Alexandria misliking remooued him from their communion Wherupon Origene driuen away with shame and sorow out of Alexandria went into Iewry where beyng in Hierusalem among the congregation and there requested of the Priestes and Ministers he being also a Priest to make some exhortation in the church refused a great while so to do At length by importunate petition being cōstrained therunto rose vp and turning the booke as though he would haue expounded some place of the Scripture only read the verse of the 49. Psalme but God sayd to the sinner why doest thou preach my iustifications why doest thou take my testament in thy mouth c. Which verie beyng read he shut the booke and sate downe weepyng and wayling the whole congregation also weeping lamentyng with him Suid. Niceph. More what became of Origene it is not found in history but onely that Suidas addeth he dyed and was buried at Tyrus Eusebius affirmeth that he departed vnder the Emperour Gallus about the yeare of our Lord 255. and the 70. yeare of his age in great miserie as appeareth and pouertie In this Origene diuers blemishes of doctrine be noted wherupon Hierome some tymes doth inueigh against him Albeit in some places agayne he doth extoll and commend him for his excellent learning as in his Apologie agaynst Ruff. and in his Epistle to Pammachus and Ocean where he prayseth Origene although not for the perfection of his faith and doctrine nor for an apostle yet for an excellent interpreter for his wit and for a Philosopher And yet in his Prologue vpō the Homelies of Origene vpon Ezechiel he calleth him an other maister of the churches after the Apostles And in an other Preface vpon his questions vpon Genesis he wisheth to himself the knowledge of the scriptures which Origene had also with the enuy of his name Athanasius moreouer calleth him singular and laborious and vseth also his testimonies against the Arrians Socrates Lib. 6. cap. 13. After Origene the congrue order of history requireth next to speak of Heraclas his Usher a man singularly commēded for his knowledge not only in Philosophy but also in all such faculties as for a christiā diuine doth appertain This great towardnes of wit and learning when Origene perceiued in him he appointed him aboue all other to bee his Usher or vnderteacher to helpe in his schoole or Uniuersitie of Alexandria in the raigne of Antoninus Caracalla sonne of Seuerus And after in the x. yeare of Alexander Origene departing vnto Cesarea he succeeded in his roome to gouerne the schoole in Alexandria Further also in the time of Gordianus after the decease of Demetrius bishop of Alexandria this Heraclas succeeded to be Bishop of the said Citie Eusebius Lib. 6. cap. 29.
the eares of Decius the Emperour he sendeth for Cornelius asking him how he durst be so bolde to shew suche stubbernes that he neither caring for the Gods nor fearing the displeasure of his Princes durst agaynst the cōmon wealth geue and receiue letters from other To whom Cornelius answering agayne thus purged himselfe declaring to the Emperour that letters in deede he had written and receiued agayne concerning the prayses honoring of Christ of saluation of soules but nothing as touching any matter of the common wealth And it foloweth in the storye Then Decius moued with anger commaunded him to be beaten with plumbattes which is sayth Sabellicus a kinde of scourging and so to be brought to the temple of Mars either there to do sacrifice or to suffer the extremitye But he rather willing to dye then to committe such iniquity prepared himselfe to Martyredome beyng sure that he should dye And so commending the charge of the Churche vnto Stephanus his Archdeacon was brought to the way of Appius where he ended his life in faythfull Martyrdome Eusebius in one place sayth that he sat ij yeares in an other place sayth that he sat three yeares and so doth Marianus Scotu following also the diuersity of the sayd Eusebius Damasus geueth him onely two yeares In this foresayde persecution of Decius it seemeth by some writers also that Cyprian was banished but I suppose rather his banishment to be referred to the reigne of Gallus next Emperour after Decius whereof more shall be sayd Christ willing in this place hereafter In the mean time the sayd Cyprian in his second booke Epist. 5. 6. maketh mention of two that suffered either in the time of this Decius or much about the same time Of whom one was Aurelius a worthy and valiant yong man who was twise in tormentes for his confession which he neuer denied but manfully and boldely withstood the aduersary till he was banished and also after And therefore was commended of Cyprian to certayne brethren to haue him for their lectorer as in the forenamed Epistle of Cyprian appeareth The other was named Mappalicus who the day before he suffered declaring to the Proconsul in the midst of his tormentes saying Videbis cras agonem that is to morrow you shall see the running for a wager c. was brought forth according as he forespake to Martyrdome and there with no lesse constancie then patience did suffer And thus much of the tyrannie of this wicked Decius agaynst God his Saintes now to touch also the power of God his vengeance and punishment against him like as we see commonly a tempest that is vehement not long to continue so it happened with this tyrannical tormenter who raigning but two yeares as sayth Eusebius or three at most as writeth Orosius among the middle of the Barbarians with whom he did warre was there slayne with his sonne like as he had slayn Philippus and his sonne his predecessours before so was he with his sonne slayne by the righteous iudgement of God himselfe Euseb. Lib. 7. cap. 1. Platin. Pomponius affirmeth that he warrying agaynst the Gotthians and beyng by them ouercome sest he should fall into their handes ranne into a whurlepyt where he was drouned and his body neuer found after Neither did the iust hand of God plague the Emperor onely but also reuenged as well the heathen Gentils and persecutors of hys word throughout all prouinces dominions of the Roman Monarchie amongst whom the lord immediatly after the death of Decius sent such a plage and pestilence lastyng for the space of x. yeares together that horrible it is to heare and almost incredible to beleue Of this plague or pestilence testifieth Dionysius to Hierax a bishop in Egypt Euseb. Lib. 7. cap. 21.22 Where he declareth the mortalitie of this plague to bee so great in Alexandria where he was bishop that there was no house in the whole Citie free And although the greatnes of the plague touched also the Christians somwhat yet it scourged the heathen Idolaters much more beside that the order of their behauiour in the one and in the other was much diuers For as the foresayd Dionysius doth recorde the Christians through brotherly loue and pietie did not refuse one to visit and comfort an other and to minister to him what need required Notwithstanding it was to them great danger for diuers there were who in closing vp their eyes in washyng their bodies interryng them in the ground were next themselues which folowed them to their graues Yet all this stayed not them frō doyng their duetie and shewyng mercy one to another Where as the Gentils contrarily beyng extremely visited by the hand of God felt the plague but considered not the striker neyther yet considered they their neighbour but euery man shifting for himselfe neither cared one for an other but such as were infected some they would cast out of the doores halfe dead to be deuoured of dogges and wilde beasts some they let dye within theyr houses without all succour some they suffred to lye vnburied for that no mā durst come neare him And yet notwithstandyng for all their voyding and shiftyng the pestilence followed them whether soeuer they went miserably consumed them In so much that Dionysius bishop the same tyme of Alexandria thus reporteth of his owne City that such a great mortalitie was then among them that the sayd City of Alexandria had not in number of all together both old and yong as it was woont to contayn before of the old men onely from the age of 60. to 70. such as were found in tyme past commonly almost in that Citie Pomponius Laetus and other Latine writers also makyng mention of the sayd pestilitie declare how the beginnyng therof first came as they thinke out of Ethiope and from the hote countreys and so inuading and wastyng first the South partes from thence spread into the East so further running and increasing into all other quarters of the world especially wheresoeuer the Edicts of the Emperor went agaynst the Christians it followed after and consumed the most part of the inhabitauntes whereby manye places became desolate and voyde of all concourse and so continued the terme of x. yeares together This pestiferous mortalitie by the occasion whereof Cyprian tooke the ground to write hys booke De mortalitate began as is sayd immediately after the death of Decius the persecutor in the beginning of the raigne of Vibias Gallus and Volusianus hys sonne who succeeded through treason next vnto Decius about the yeare of our Lord. 255. and continued their raygne but two yeares This Gallus although the first beginning of the raygne was some thing quiet yet shortly after following the steps of Decius by whō rather he should haue taken better heed set forth Edictes in like maner for the persecution of Christians albeit in this Edict we finde no number of Martyrs
to note by the waye because this distinction is fathered vpon Cyprian which is false for this Cyprian was not in the time of Iulian not by 200. yeares and so likewise by the other Cyprian which died Martyr vnder Diocletian Of anye Cyprian besides these two we read not Neither is it credible that if there were any such Cyprian he would euer haue written of any such matter of the difference and mutuall nede of ChristiaÌ„ Emperours and Christen Popes When as that Emperour being an Apostata neither regarded Christ nor cared for any Pope About this tyme and vnder the same Emperour Valerianus suffered also Xistus or Sixtus the seconde of that name Byshop of Rome who being accused of his aduersaries to be a ChristiaÌ„ was brought with his vj. deacons to the place of execution where he with Nemesius other hys Deacons were beheaded and suffered Martyrdome Laurence in the same time being also Deacon folowed after complayning to Xistus as one being greued that he might not also suffer with him but to be secluded as the sonne froÌ„ the father To whom the Bishop aunswering againe declared that within thre daies he should folow after In the meane time hee willed him to go home and to distribute his treasures if he had any vnto the poore The iudge belike hearing mentioÌ„ to be made of treasures to be giuen to the poore and thinking that Laurence had great store of treasure in his custody coÌ„maunded him to bring the same vnto him according as the discourse of his storye here vnder written more fully may appeare Which history because it is set foorth more at large in Prudentius Ambrose and other writers and containeth in it mo things in it worthy to be noted of the Reader we haue therfore with the more dilygence here inserted the more ample description of the same to the further admiration of his patience and God his glory shewed in him Now then as order requireth let vs enter the story of that most constaunt and couragious Martir of Christ S. Laurence whose words and works deserue to be as freshe and greene in Christian harts as is the florishing Laurel tree This thirsty hart longing after the water of lyfe desirous to passe vnto it through the straight doore of bitter death when on a time he saw his vigilaunt Shephearde Xistus led as an harmles lambe of harmefull tyrauntes to his death cried out with open mouth and hart inuincible saying O deare father whether goest thou without the company of thy deare sonne Whether hastenest thou O reuerend Priest without thy Deacon Neuer wast thou wont to offer sacrifice without thy minister What cryme is there in me that offendeth thy fatherhod Hast thou proued me vnnaturall Now try swete father whether thou hast chosen a faithfull minister or not Deniest thou vnto him the fellowship of thy bloud to whom thou hast committed the destribution of the Lordes bloud See that thy iudgement be not misliked whilest thy fortitude is liked lauded The abasing of the scholer is the disgracing of the Maister What haue we not learned that worthy Maisters haue obtained most worthy same by the worthy actes of their Disciples and Scholers Finally Abraham sacryficed his onely begotten Isaac Stoned Stephen prepared the way to preaching Peâ—er euen so father declare thy manifold vertues by me thy sonne Offer thou him that proferreth him selfe Graunt that the body of thy scholer may be sacrificed whose mind with good letters thou hast beautefied These wordes with teares S. Laurence vttered not becauâ—e his master should suffer but for that he might not be suffered to tast of deaths cup which he thirsted aâ—ter Then Xistus to his sonne shaped this aunswere I forsake thee not O my sonne I giue thee to wit that a sharper conflict remaineth for thee A feeble and weak old man am I and therefore run the rase of a lighter easier death But lusty and young thou art and more lustely yea more gloriously shalt thou triumph ouer this tiraunt Thy time approcheth cease to wepe lament three daies after thou shalt follow me Decent is it that this space of time come betwene the Priest the Leuite It may not beseeme thee O sweete Pupill to triumphe vnder thy master least it be said he wanted an helper Why crauest thou to be pertaker with me in my passion I bequeath vnto thee the whole inheritaunce Why requirest thou to enioy my presence let weake scholers go before and the stroÌ„ger come after that those without maister may get the victory which haue no neede by maister to be gouerned So Helias left behynde him his beloued Heliseus I yeelde vp into thy handes the succession of my vertues Such was their contention not vnmeete for so godly a priest so zelous a minister striuing with themselues who shoulde first suffer for the name of Christ Iesu. In tragical histories we haue it mentioned that through ioy admiration people claped their handes wheÌ„ Pylades named himselfe Orestes Orestes as truth it was affirmed himselfe to bee Orestes Pylades wishing to die for Orestes Orestes not suffering Pylades to loose his life for his sake But neither of them might escape death for both these louers were gilty of bloud the one committing the facte the other consenting But this our Laurence the Martyr most constant was by no meanes enforced to make this profer sauing onely by his ardent zeale and feruent spirite who thirsting after the cup of Maytirdome had it shortly after filled to the hard brymme Now let vs draw neare to the fire of Martyred Laurence that our colde hartes may be warmed thereby The mercylesse tyraunt vnderstanding this vertuous Leuite not onely to be a minister of the Sacramentes but a distributer also of the Church riches whereof mention is made before in the wordes of Xistus promised to himselfe a double pray by the appresion of one silly soule First with the rake of Auarice to scrape to himselfe the treasuâ—e of poore Christians then with the firy forke of tyranny so to tosse and turmoyle them that they should waxe weary of their Christian profession With furious face and cruell countenaunce the greedy wolfe demaunded where this Deacon Laurence had bestowed the substaunce of the Church Who crauing three dayes respite promised to declare where the treasure might he had In the meane time he caused a good number of poore Christians to be congregated So when the day of his aunswere was come the persecutor straightly charged him to staÌ„d to hys promise Then valiant LaureÌ„ce stretching out his armes ouer the poore sayde These are the precious treasure of the church These are the treasure in deede in whom the faith of Christ raigneth in whome Iesus Christ hath his mansion place What more precious Iuels can Christ haue theÌ„ those in whoÌ„ he hath promised to dwel For so it is written I was hungry ye gaue me to eate I was thirsty and
with the rest of the multitude and perswading them what they should do and what had bene obteined for theÌ„ caused them to void the citie and not onlie them but also a great number of other mo who perswaded by him vnder that preâ—ence changing themselues in womens apparell or faming some impotencie so escapeh out of the citie At whose comming out Eusebius on the other side was readie to receiue them and refreshed their hungrye and pined bodies whereby not onelye they but the whole Citye of Alexandria was preserued from destruction Eusebius lib. 7. cap. 32. By this little historie of Eusebius and Anatholius described in the vij booke of Eusebius cap. 32. and briefly here set foorth to thee gentle Reader thou mayest partly vnderstande the practise of the Prelates what it was in those daies in the church which was then onlie imploied in sauing of life and succouring the common weales wherein they liued as by these two godly persons Eusebius and Anatholius may wel appeare Unto the which practise if we compare the practise of our latter prelates of the church of Rome I suppose no little difference will appeare The next Emperour to Florianus as is said was Marcus Aurelius Probus a Prince both wise and vertuous and no lesse valiant in martial affaires as fortunate in the successe of the same During his time we reade of no persecution greatly stiring in the church but much quietnes as well in matters of religion as also in the common wealth In so much that after his great and manye victories such peace ensued that his saying was there needed no more souldiers seing there were no moe enimies to the coÌ„mon wealth to fight against It was his saying also that hys souldiers nede not to spend corne and victuale except they laboured to serue the common wealth And for the same cause he caused his souldiers to be set a worke about certayne mountaynes in Syrinia in Messia to be planted with vines and not so much as in winter suffered them to be at rest therfore by them at length he was slayne after he had reigned the space of vj. yeres and 4. moneths an 284 Eutrop. Carus with his two sonnes Carinus and Numerianus succeeded next after Probus in the Empire the raygne of which Emperors continued in all but iij. yeares Of the which three first Carus warring agaynst the Persians was slayne with lightning Of Numerianus his sonne beyng with his father in his warres against the Persians we finde much commendation in Eutropius Vopiscus and other writers which testified to him to be a valiaunt warriour an eloquent orator as appeared by his declamatioÌ„s and writinges sent to the Senate Thirdly to be an excellent Poet. This Numerianus sorrowing lamentyng for the death of hys father through immoderate weeping fell into a great sorenes of his eyes by reason whereof he keping close was slaine not long after of his father in lawe named Aper who traiterously aspiring to the Empire dissnnuled his death with a false excuse to the people asking for him saying for the payne of his eyes he kept in from the wind and weather til at length by the stinch of his body being caried about his death was vttered In the life of this Emperor Carus aforesaide written by Eutropius in the later edition set forth by Frobenius I finde whiche in other editions of Eutropius doth not appeare that Numerianus the sonne of this Carus was he that slewe Babylas the holye Martyr whose history before wee haue comprehended But that seemeth not to be like both by the narration of Chrysostome and also for that Vrspergensis declaryng the same hystorie and in the same wordes as it is in Eutropius saith that it was Cyrillus whome Numerianus killed the story whereof is this what time Carus the Emperour in his iourney going toward the Persians remayned at Antioche Numerianus his sonne would enter into the church of the christians to view and behold their misteries But Cyrillus their bishop would in no wise suffer him to enter into the church saying that it was not lawfull for him to see the misteries of God who was polluted with sacrifices of Idoles Numerianus full of indignation at the hearing of these words not suffering that repulse at the hands of Cyrillus in his fury did slay the godlye Martyr And therefore iustly as it seemed was he himselfe slayne afterward by the hands of Aper Thus Carus with his sonne Numerianus being slaine in the East partes as is declared Carinus the other sonne raigned alone in Italye where he ouercame Sabinus striuyng for the Empire and raigned there with much wyckednes till they returning home of the army againe from the Persians who then set vp Dioclesian to be Emperor by whome the foresayde Carinus for the wickednes of hys life being forsaken of his host was ouercome at length slayne with the hande of the Tribune whose wyfe before he had defloured Thus Carus with his two sonnes Numerianus and Carinus ended their liues whose raigne continued not aboue three yeares All this meane space we reade of no great persecution stirring in the Church of Christ but was in meane quiete state and tranquilitie vnto the xix yeare of the raigne of Dioclesian So that in counting the time from the latter ende of Ualerian vnto this foresaid yeare of Dioclesian the peace of the church which God gaue to his people semeth to continue aboue 44. yeares During the which tyme of peace and tranquilitie the church of the Lord did mightely increase and florish so that the more bodies it lost by persecution the more honor and reuerence it wan daily among the Gentiles in al quarters both Grekes and barbarous in so much that as Eusebius in his vij booke describeth amongst the Emperours themselues diuers there were which not onely bare singular good will and fauor to them of our profession but also did commit vnto them offices regiments ouer countries and nations so well were they affected to our doctrine that they priuileged the same with liberty and indemnitie What needeth to speake of them which not only liued vnder the Emperors in libertie but also were familiar in the court with the Princes themselues entertained with great honour and speciall fauour beyond the other seruitures of the court as was Dorotheus with his wife children and whole family highly accepted aduaunced in the palace of the Emperour Also Gorgonius in like maner with diuers other mo who for theyr doctrine learning which they professed were with theyr Princes in great estimation In like reuerence also were the bishops of cities and Diocesse with the Presidentes and rulers where they liued who not onely suffered theÌ„ to liue in peace but also had them in great price and regarde so long as they kept themselues vpright and continued in God his fauour Who is able to number at that time the mighty
of the Christians to bee spoyled and cast to the earth and the bookes of holy scripture to be burned Thus most violent edictes and proclamations were set foorth for the ouerthrowing as is saide of the Christians temples throughout all the Romane Empire Neyther did there want in the officers any cruell execution of the same proclamations For their temples were defaced euen when they celebrated the feast of Easter Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 2. And this was the first edicte giuen out by Dioclesian the next proclamation that came forth was for the burning of the bookes of the holy scripture which thyng was done in the open market place as before then next vnto that were edictes giuen forth for the displacing of such as were Magistrats and that with a great ignominie al other whatsoeuer bare anye office Imprisoning suche as were of the common sorte if they would not abiure Christianitie and subscribe to the heathen religion Euseb. lib. 8. cap 3. Nicephorus lib. 7. cap 4. Zonoras also in his seconde tome And these were the beginning of the Christians euils It was not long after but that new edictes were sent forth nothing for their cruelty inferiour to the first for the casting of the elders and bishops into prisō and then constraining them with sundry kindes of punishments to offer vnto their Idoles By reason whereof ensued a great persecutiō amongst the gouernors of the church amongst whom many stood manfully passing through many exceeding bitter torments neyther were ouercome therwyth being tormented and examined diuers of them diuerslye some scourged all their bodies ouer with whips scourges some with racks rasinges of the flesh intolerable were cruciated some one way some another way put to death Some againe violently were drawen to the vnpure sacrifice and as though they had sacrificed when indeede they did not were let go Other some neither comming at al to their aultars nor touching anye peece of their sacrifices yet were borne in hand of thē that stoode by that they had sacrificed so suffering that false infamation of their enymies quietly went away Other as dead men were caried and cast away being but halfe dead Some they cast down vpon the pauement and trailing them a great space by the legs made the people beleue that they had sacrificed Furthermore other there were which stoutly withstood them affirming with a loud voice that they had done no such sacrifice Of whom some saide they were Christians gloried in the profession of that name some cryed saying that neither they had nor would euer be pertakers of that idolatry And those being buffeted on the face mouth wyth the handes of the soldiers were made to hold their peace and so thrust out with violence And if the Saintes did seeme neuer so little to doe what the enimies would haue them they were made much of Albeit all this purpose of the aduersary did nothing preuayle against the holye and constaunt seruaunts of Christ. Notwithstanding of the weake sort innumerable there were which for feare infirmity fell and gaue ouer euen at the first brunt At the first comming downe of these edictes into Nicomedia there chanced a dede to be done much worthy of memory of a Christien being a noble man borne whiche moued by the zeale of God after the proclamation made at Nicomedia was set vp by and by ranne and tooke downe the same and openly tare and rent it in peeces not fearing the presence of the two Emperours then being in the citie For which acte he was put to a most bitter death whiche death he with great faith constancie endured euen to the last gaspe Euseb. lib. 8. lib. 3. 5. After this the furious rage of the malignaunt Emperours being let loose against the saintes of Christ proceeded more more making hauock of gods people through out all quarters of the worlde First Dioclesian which had purposed with himselfe to subuert the whole christian religion executed his tyranny in the east and Maximianus in the west But wily Dioclesian began very subtilye for hee put the matter first in practise in his owne campe among whom the marshall of the field as Euseb. lib. 8. cap. 4. affirmeth put the Christian Souldiers to this choise whether they would obey the Emperors commaundement in that maner of sacrifice he cōmaunded and so both to keepe their offices and leade their bands or els to lay away from thē their armor and weapons Whereunto the Christen men couragiously aunswered that they were not only ready to lay away their armour weapons but also to suffer death if it should with tiranny be enforced vnto them rather thē they would obey the wicked decrees and comaundements of the Emperour There might a man haue seene very manye whiche were desirous to liue a simple and poore life and whiche regarded no estimation and honour in comparison of true pietie godlines And this was no more but a subtile and wily flattery in the beginning to offer them to be at theyr owne liberty whether they would willingly abiure their profession or not as also this was an other that in the beginning of the persecution there were but a few tormented with punishment but afterwarde by little and little hee began more manifestlye to braste out into persecution It can hardly be expressed with wordes what number of Martirs and what bloud was shedde through all cities and regions for the name of Christ Eusebius in his 8 booke chap. 7. saith that he himselfe knew the worthy Martirs that were in Palestina But in Tire of Phenicia he declareth in the same a marueilous martyrdome made where certayne christians being geuen to most cruell wild beasts were preserued without hurt of them to the great admiration of the beholders and those Lions Beares and Lybardes kept hungry for that purpose had no desire to deuoure them which notwithstanding most vehementlye raged against those by whome they were brought into the stage and stoode as they thought without daunger of thē such were first deuoured But the Christian Martyrs because they could not be hurt of the beasts being slayne with the sworde were afterwarde throwen into the sea At that time was martyred the Bishop of Sydon But Syluanus the Byshop of Gazensis with 39. other were slayne in the mettall mynes of Phenitia Pamphilus the elder of Cesarea being the glory of that congregation died a most worthy Martyr whose both life and most commendable martyrdome Eusebius oftentimes declareth in his 8. booke and 13. chapter in so much that he hath written the same in a booke by it selfe In Syria all the chiefe teachers of the congregation were first committed to prison as a most heauye cruell spectacle to behold as also the bishops Elders and Deacons which all were esteemed as menquellers and perpetratours of most wicked facts Eusebius Lib. 8. cap. 6 After that we read of an
not regarding your priuate businesses nor esteeming that which shoulde haue bene for the speciall commoditie thereof when it perceaued that cursed vanitie to begin againe to creepe and as a fire negligently quenched when the dead brandes thereof began to kindle and make a great flame by and by without delay ye hauing recourse vnto our pietie as vnto the Metropolitan of all diuine worship and Religion craued remedie and helpe which wholesome minde for your pieties sake it is most manifest that the gods haue indued you with Therefore hee euen that most mightie Iupiter I say which preserueth your most famous Citie to that intent he might deliuer and make free your countrey Gods your wiues and children your housholde Gods and houses from all detestable corruption hath inspired you with this wholesome and willing minde shewing declaring howe worthy notable and healthfull a thing it is to worship to sacrifice to the immortall Gods For who is so void of reason vnderstanding that knoweth not that this thing happeneth vnto vs by the carefull studie of the goodnes of our gods that the grounde denieth not to geue her timely increase nor maketh frustrate the husband mans hope nor that wicked warre dare shew her face vpon the earth nor that the corruption of the aire is nowe cause of pestilence neither that the sea swelleth with immoderate windes neither that sodaine stormes are cause of hurtfull tempestes To conclude that the ground which is as the nurce and mother of all things is not swallowed vp of her deepe chappes and gapings by terrible earthquake neither that the hils made leuell with the earth are not with gaping cliftes deuoured all which euils and greater then these before this time to haue happened euery mā knoweth And all these mischiefes came vpō vs for the pernitious errours sake of the extreeme follie of those wicked men the Christanis when filthinesse it selfe as I may call it so occupied their mindes and ouerranne the worlde Let them beholde the fieldes nowe all about full of corne and ouerflowen as it were with eares of corne Let them vewe the pleasant medowes clothed with flowers and moistned with showers from heauen and also the pleasant and temperate weather Therefore let all men reioyce that by your pietie sacrifices worshipping the maiestie of the most stearne God of battell Mars is appeased that therfore we enioy pleasant firme peace And how many so euer haue left that blind errour and straying of the Christians vnfainedly and be of a better minde let them specially reioyce as men deliuered out of a sodaine great tempest and from a greeuous disease and haue afterward obtained a delectable and pleasant life For doubtlesse if they had remained in that execrable vanitie farre of had they bene chased from your Citie suburbs of the same according to your desire that your Citie by that meanes according to your commēdable diligence clensed from all impuritie and impietie may offer sacrifices according to the meaning of the same with due reuerence of the immortall Gods And that you may perceiue in how good part your supplication yea vnasked and desired we are most willing and ready to further your honest endeuours and graunt vnto you for your deuotion whatsoeuer you aske of our magnificence And that thys thing may be accomplished forthwith aske and haue And thys thing with all speede indeuour you to obtaine which shall bee a perpetuall testimony of pietie exhibited of your Citie to the immortall Gods and shal be a president to your children and posteritie and withall you shall obtaine of vs for this your willing desire of reformation condygne and worthy rewardes Eusebius Lib 9. cap. 7. Thus came it to passe that at the length persecutiō was as great as euer it was and the magistrates of euery prouince were very disdainefull against the Christians which cōdemned some to death and some to exile Among whom they condemned three christians at Emisa in Phenicia with whom Siluanus the bishop a very old man being 40. yeres in the ecclesiasticall function was condemned to death At Nicomedia Lucianus the elder of Antioche brought thether after he had exhibited to the emperour his Apologie concerning the doctrin of the Christians was cast in pryson and after put to death In Amasea a City of Capadocia Bringes the lieftenaunt of Maximinus had at that time the executing of that persecution At Alexandria Petrus a most worthy byshop was beheaded with whome manye other Egiptian byshops also died Euseb. Lib. 9. cap. 7. Nicepho Lib. 7. cap. 44. Quirinus the Byshop Scescanius hauing a hanmyll tyed about hys necke was throwne headlong from the bridge into the flood and there a long while fleeted aboue the water and when hee opened his mouth to speake to the lookers on that they shoulde not be dismaied with that his punishmēt was with much a do drowned Chron. Euseb. At Rome dyed Marcellus the bishop as sayeth Platina also Timotheus the elder with many other bishops Priests were martyred To cōclud many in sundry places euery where were martyred whose name the booke intituled Fasciculus temporum declareth as Victorianus Symphorianus Castorius with his wife Castulus Cesarius Mennas Nobilis Dorotheus Gorgonius Petrus and other innumerable martirs Erasmus Bonifacius Iuliana Cosmas Damianus Basilinus with seuen others Dorothea Theophilus Theodosia Vitalis Agricola Acha Philemon Hireneus Ianuarius Festus Desiderius Gregorius Spoletanus Agapes Chionia Hirenea Theodora and 270. other Martyrs Florianus Primus and Felicianus Vitus and Modestus Crescentia Albinus Rogatianus Donatianus Pancratius Catharina Margareta Lucia the virgin and Antheus the king with many thousād martirs mo Simplicius Faustinus Beatrix Panthaleon Georgius Iustus Leocandia Anthonia and other mo to an infinite number suffered martirdome in this persecution whose names God hath written in the booke of life Also Felix Victor with his parents Lucia the widow Gemenianus with 79 others Sabinus Anastasia Chrisogonus Felix and Audactus Adrianus Nathalia Eugenia Agnes also when she was but 13. yeare old was martyred Euseb. in his 8. booke and 15. chap. rehearseth these kinds of torments and punishmēts that is to say Fire wilde beastes the sword crucifyinges the bottome of the sea the cutting and burning of mēbers the thrusting out of eyes dismembring of the whole body hūger imprisonment whatsoeuer other cruelty the Magistrates coulde deuise All which notwithstanding the godly ones rather then that they woulde doe sacrifice as they were bid māfully endured Neither were the womē any thing at al behind thē For they beyng intised to the filthy vse of their bodies rather suffered banishmēt or willingly killed themselues Neither yet could the Christians liue safely in the wildernes but were fetched euē frō thēce to death and tormentes in so much that this was a more greeuous persecution vnder Maximianus the tyraunt then was the former cruell persecution vnder Maximianus the Prince Euseb. Lib. 9.
to destroy both bodye and soule in hell fire To make the story short after manifold tormentes borne of him and suffered when the last sentence of death was vpon him pronounced which was to be beheaded Menas being then had to the place of execution said I giue thee thanks my Lord god which hast so excepted me to be fouÌ„d a partaker of thy precious death hast not giuen me to be deuoured of my fierce enimies but hast made me to remaine coÌ„stant in thy pure faith vnto this my later end And so this blessed souldiour fighting valiantly vnder the baner of Christ lost his head wan his soule Symeon Metaphrast tom 5. In the which autor there foloweth a long narration of the miracles of this holy man which here for prolixity I doe omit Basilius in a certayne Sermon of 40. Martyrs rehearseth this story not vnworthye to bee noted There came saith he into a certaine place which place he maketh no mention of the Emperours Marshall or officer with the edict which the Emperour had set out against the Christians that whosoeuer confessed Christ shoulde after manye tormentes suffer death And first they did priuily suborne certaine which should detect acuse the Christians whom they had found out or had layde wayte for vpon this the sword the gibbet the wheele the whips were brought forth At the terrible sight whereof the harts of all the beholders did shake tremble Some for feare did flee some did stand in doubt what to do Certaine were so terrified at the beholding of these engines tormenting instruments that they denied their faith Some other began the game and for a time did abide the conflict and agony of Martydome but vanquished at length by the intollerable paine of their torments made shipwracke of their consciences lost the glory of their confession AmoÌ„g other xl there were at that time younge gentlemen all souldiers which after the Marshall had shewed the Emperours Edict and required of all men the obedience of the same freely boldly of their owne accord confessed themselues to be Christians declared to him their names The Marshall somewhat amased at this their boldnes of speach staÌ„deth in doubte what was best to do Yet forthwith he goeth about to win them with faire words aduertising them to consider their youth neither that they shoulde chaunge a cruell and vntimely death â—or a sweete and pleasant life After that hee promiseth them money and honorable offices in the Emperours name But they little esteming all these thinges breake forth into a long and bolde Oration affirming that they did neither desire life dignitie nor money but onelye the celestiall kingdome of Christ saying further that they are ready for the loue and faith they haue in god to indure the afflictioÌ„ of the wheele the crosse and the fire The rude Marshall being herewith offended deuiseth a newe kinde of punishment He spied out in the middle of the citie a certaine great pond which layfull vpon the cold Northren winde for it was in the winter time wherein he caused them to be put all that night but they being merry comforting one another receiued this their appointed punishment and sayd as they were putting of their clothes we put off said they now not our clothes but we put of the old maÌ„ corrupt with the deceipt of coÌ„cupiscence We giue thee thanks O Lord that with this our apparell we may also put of by thy grace the sinfull man for by meanes of the Serpent we once put him on and by the meanes of Iesus Christ we now put him of When they had thus said they were brought naked into yâ— place where they felt moste vehement colde in so much that all the partes of their bodies were starke stiffe therewith Assone as it was daye they yet hauing breath were brought into the fire wherin they were consumed and their ashes throwne into the flud By chaunce there was on of the company more liuely and not so neere dead as the rest of whome the executioners takyng pitie saide vnto his mother standing by that they would saue his life But shee with her owne handes taking her sonne brought him to the pile of wood where the residue of his fellowes crooked for cold did lie ready to be brent admonished him to accomplish the blessed iourney he had taken in hand with his companions Basil. A lyke hystory of 40. Martyres which were maryed men we read of in Niceph. Zozomenus Lib. 9. cap. 2. which were killed likewise in a lake or pond at Sebastia a towne of Armenia vnder Licinius if the story be not the same with this Niceph. Zozom In this felowship and company of martyrs can not be left out and forgotte the story of Cyrus This Cyrus was a Phisition borne in Alexandria which fleing into Egipt in the persecution of Dioclesianus and Maximianus led a solitary life in Arabia being much spoken of for his learning and myracles vnto whose company after a certaine tyme did Ioannes borne in the Citie of Edessa beyond the ryuer Euphrates ioyne himself leauing the souldiers life which before that time he had exercised But whilest as yet the same persecution raged in a city in Egipt called Canope there was cast into prison for the confession of their fayth a certayne godly Christian woman called Athanasia and her three daughters Theoctiste Theodota and Eudoxia wyth whom Cyrus was well acquainted At whose infâ—rmities he much fearing accompanied with his brother Iohn came and visited them for their better confirmation at which time Lyrianus was chiefe captaine and Lieutenaunt of Egypt of whose wickednes and crueltie especially agaynst women and maydens Athanasus maketh mention in hys Apologies and in his Epistle to those that lead a solitarye life Thys Cyrus therefore and Ioannes being accused and apprehended of the Heathen men as by whose perswasions the maydens and daughters of Athanasia contumelyously despised the Gods and the Emperours religion could by no meanes be brought to doe sacrifice were after the publication of their constaunt confession put to death by the sworde Athanasia also and her three daughters being condemned to death This history writeth Symeon Metaphrastes Sebastian being borne in the part of Fraunce called Gallia Narbonensis was a Christian and was Lieutenaunte generall of the vawward of Dioclesian the Emperor who also encouraged many martyrs of Christ by his exhortations vnto constancy and kept them in the faith He being therfore accused to the Emperor was commaunded to be apprehended and that he should be brought into the open fielde where of his owne souldiers he was thrust through the body with innumerable arrowes and after that hys body was throwne into a iaques or sinke Ambrosius maketh mention of this Sebastian the martir in his CoÌ„mentary vpon the 118. Psalme Symeon Metaphrastes amongest oher Martyrs that suffered with Sebastian numbreth also these followyng Nicostratus
by the sworde both in Citie and in Towne some beyng sought for some offeryng themselues willyngly least they shoulde seeme by their sylence to deny Christ. Thus al the Christians that could be founde without pitie were slaine and diuers also of the kinges owne court and housholde Amonge whome was also Azades an Eunuche and whome the Kyng did entirely loue and fauour Which Asades after that the King vnderstoode to be put to death beyng greatly mooued with the sorrow thereof commaunded after that no Christians to bee slayne but them onely which were the Doctours and teachers of Chrystian Religion In the same tyme it happened that the Queene fell into a certaine disease vpon the occasion whereof the cruell Iewes with the wicked Magicians falsely and malicyously accused Trabula the sister of Symeon the Martyr a godly Uirgine with an other sister also of hers that they had wrought pryuie charmes to hurt the Queene for the reuenging of the death of Symeon This accusation beyng receaued and beleeued innocent Trabula with the other were condemned and with a sawe cut in sunder by the middle Whose quarters were then hanged vpon stakes the Queene goyng betweene them thinking thereby to be deliuered of her sickenes This Trabula was a mayde of a ryght comelye beauty and verye amiable to whome one of the Magicians cast great loue much desiring and labouryng by gyftes and rewardes sent into the pryson to wynne her to hys pleasure promising that if she woulde applye to hys request shee shoulde bee deliuered and set at lybertye But she vtterly refusing to consente vnto hym or rather rebukyng him for his incontinent attempt dyd chuse rather to dye then to betray eyther the Religion of her minde or the virginitie of her body Zozom Now forsomuch as the king had cōmaunded that no Christians should be put to death but onely such as were the teachers and leaders of the flocke the Magicians and Archmagitians left no diligence vntried to set forward the matter Whereby great affliction and persecutions was among the Byshops and teachers of the Church which in all places went to slaunghter especially in the country of Diabenor for that part of Persia aboue al other was most Christian. Where Acepsimas the Byshop with a great number of his flocke and clergy were apprehended and taken vpon the apprehension of whō the Magicians to satisfie the kings commaundement dismissed al the rest onely depriuing them of their liuing and goods Onely Acepsimas the bishop they retayned with whom one Iacobus a Minister or priest of his church was also ioined not of any compulsion but onely as himselfe so desired and obtained of those Magicians that he might folow him be coupled in the same bonds to serue the aged byshop and to relieue so much as he might his calamities and heale his woundes For he had bene sore scourged before of the Magians after they had apprehended him and brought him to worshippe the sunne which thing because he would not do they cast him into prison againe where this Iacobus was waiting vpō him At the same time likewise Athalis a Priest or Minister also Azadanes and Abdiesus Deacons were imprysoned and miserably scourged for the testimony of the Lorde Iesus After this the Archimagus espying his time complaineth to the king of them hauing authoritie and commission giuen him vnles they would worship the sunne to punish them as he pleased This commaundement receyued of the king the master Magus doth declare to thē in prison But they aunswered againe plainely that they would neuer be either betraiers of Christ or worshippers of the sunne wherupon without mercy they were put to bitter torments Where Acepsimas strongly persisting in the confession of christ endureth to death The other being no lesse rent wounded with scourges yet cōtinued meruailously aliue And because they woulde in no case turne from their constant sentence were turned againe into prison Of whome Athalas in the time of his whipping was so drawne rackt with pulling that both his armes being loosed out of the ioynts hanged downe from his body which he so caried about without vse of any hande to feede himselfe but as he was fed of other Miserable and almost innumerable were the slaughters vnder the raigne of this Sapores of Byshops Ministers Deacons religious men holy virgins and other ecclesiasticall persons such as did then cleaue to the doctrine of Christ and suffered for the same The names of the bishops besides the other multitude taken in that persecution is recited in Sozom. lib. 2. and in Niceph. lib. 8 cap. 37. in this order following Barbasymes Paulus Gaddiabes Sabinus Mareas Mocius Iohannes Hormisdas Papas Iacobus Romas Maares Agas Bochres Abdas Abiesus Ioannes Abramius Agdelas Sabores Isaac Dausas Bicor also with Maureanda his fellow bishop and the rest of his Churches vnder hym to the number of 250. persons which were the same time apprehended of the Persians c. Briefly to cōprehend the whole multitude of them that suffered in that persecution the maner of their apprehension the cruelnes of their tormēts how and where they suffered in what places it is not possible for any history to discharg Neither are the Persians them selues as Zozomenus recordeth able to recyte them In summe the multitude and number of thē whom they are able to recite by name commeth to the summe of xvj thousand men and women The rumor and noyse of this so miserable affliction of the Christians in the kingdome of Persia comming to the eares of Constantinus the Emperour put him in great heauines studing and reuoluing with himselfe howe to helpe the matter which in deede was very hard for him to do It so befell the same time that certaine Embassadours were then at Rome from Sapores king of Persia to whom Constantinus did easely graunt and consent satisfying all their requestes and demaundes thinking thereby to obtaine the more friendship at the kings handes that at hys request he would be good to the Christians to whome he writeth his Epistle in their behalfe and sendeth the same by his messengers beginning thus Diuinam fidem seruans veritatis lucem sortior Veritatis luce ductus diuinam fidem cognosco Per ea igitur quibus illa res agēdas confirmat sanctissimam religionem cognitam redd◠hunc m◠cultum doctorem cognitionis sancti dei habere confiteor c. Eusebius de vita Constantinus lib. 4. The contentes whereof briefly do tende to this effect Declaring vnto him how he should stand much beholden to him if at his request he would shew some quiet and rest to the Christians In whose religion there was nothing which he could iustly blame For so much as in their sacrifices they vse to kil nothing nor to shed no bloud but only to offer vp vnbloudy sacrifices to make their praiers vnto God who delighteth not in bloud shedding but onely in the soule that loueth
thinkest to possesse the gift of God by thy money therefore thy part nor lot is not in this worde Neither ought we to bee shauen on the crowne onely because Saint Peter was so shauen but because Peter was so shauen in the remebraunce of the Lords Passion therfore we that desire by the same Passion to be saued must weare the signe of the same passion with him vpon the top of our head which is the highest part of our body For as euery Church that is made a Church by the death of the Sauiour doth vse to beare the signe of the holy crosse in the front that it maye the better by the defence of that banner bee kept from the inuasions of euill spirits by the often admonition therof is taught to crucifie the flesh with the concupiscence of the same In like maner it behoueth such as haue the vowes of Monkes and degres of the Clergy to bind them selues with a straiter bit of continencie for the Lords sake And as the Lord bare a crowne of thorne on his head in his passion wherby he tooke caried away from vs the thornes and prickes of our sinnes so must euery one of vs by shauing our heads patiently beare and willinglye suffer the mockes and scorners of the worlde for his sake That wee may receaue the crowne of eternall life which God hath promised to all that loue him shall by shauing their corporal crownes beare the aduersity contemne the prosperity of this worlde But the shauing which Symon Magus vsed what faithful man doth not detest together with his magicall arte The which at the first apparance hath a shew of a shauen crowne but if you marke his necke you shal finde it curtailed in such wise as you will say it is rather meete to be vsed of the Symonistes then of the Christians And such of foolishe men be thought worthye of the glory of the eternall crowne whereas indede for their yll liuing they are worthy not only to be depriued of the same but also of eternall saluation I speak not this against thē that vse this kinde of shauing liue Catholikely in fayth and good workes but surely I beleeue there be diuers of them be very holy and godly men Amongst the which is Adamnan the Abbot and worthy Priest of the Columbians who when he came Embassadour from his country vnto king Alfride desired greatly to see our Monastery where be declared a wonderful wisedowe humilitie and Religiō both in his maners and wordes Amongest other talke I asked him why he that did beleue to come to the crown of life that should neuer haue end did vse contrary to his belief a definite Image of a crowne on his head And if you seke quoth I the felowship of S. Peter why doe you vse the fashion of his crowne whom S. Peter did accurse and not of his rather with whom you desire to liue eternally Adānā answered saying you know right well brother though I vse Symons maner of shauing after the custome of my country yet doe I detest with all my heart abhorre hys infidelitie I desire notwithstanding to imitate the footesteps of the holy Apostle as far forth as my power wil extend Then said I I beleeue it is so But then is it apparaunt you imitate those thinges which the Apostle Peter did frō the bottom of your hart if you vse the same vpon your face that you know he did For I suppose your wisedome vnderstandeth that it is right decent to differ in the triming your face or shauing frō his whom in your hart you abhorre And cōtrariwise as you desire to imitate the doings of him whom you desire to haue a mediator betweene God you so it is meete you imitate the maner of his apparell and shauing Thus much saide I to Adamnan who seemed then well to like our Churches in so much that he returning into Scotland reformed many of his churches there after our celebratiō albeit he could not do so amongst the Monks with whom he had special authority He endeuoured also to haue reformed their maner of shauing if he had bene able And nowe O King I exhort your maiestie to labor together with your people ouer whom the King of Kinges and Lorde of Lordes hath made you gouernor to imitate likewise in all these points the Catholicke and Apostolical churches So shall it come to passe that in the end of this your temporall kingdome the most blessed prince of the Apostles shall opē you the gates of the heauenly kingdome together with the other elect of god The grace of the eternal king preserue you most derely beloued sonne in Christ long time to reigne ouer vs to the great tranquility of vs all When this letter was read before king Nayton wyth other of his learned men and diligentlye translated into his proper language he semed to reioyce very much at the exhortation therof insomuch as rising vp from among his noble men he kneled on the ground and gaue God thankes that he had deserued to receaue so worthye a presente out of England so caused it forthwith by publike proclamation to be writen out learned obserued throught out all the prouinces of the Pictes defacing the errours that had bene vsed there by the space of 700. and 4. yeares For all the ministers of the altar all Monkes were shauen on the crowne And al the people reioiced for the new dyscipline of the most blessed Prince of the Apostles S. Peter which they had receaued ¶ By this monkish letter aboue prefixed voide of all Scripture of all probation truth of history thou maiest note gentle Reader howe this vaine tradition of shauen crownes hath come vp vpon how light and trifling occasion which in very deede was none other but the dreaming phantasies of Monkes of that time falsely grounding vpon the example of Peter when by no olde monument of any aūtient record they can euer proue either Peter or Symon Magus to haue bene shauen Moreouer in the said leter also is to be noted how the Scottish Clergy at that season did weare no such Priestly crownes as our English Churchmen then did But to cut of this matter of shauing more worthy to be laught at thē to be storied let vs now againe returne where as we left at king Iue of whom W. Malmesbery and Fabian in his chronicle do record that whē the foresaide Iue had ruled the west saxons by the tearme of 37. yeares by the importunate perswasion and subtile policie of his wife Ethelburga was allured to go to Rome there to be made a Monke Which Ethelburga after she had a long tyme laboured him to leaue the world and could not bring about her purpose vpon a season when the king and she had rested them in a faire pallace richly behanged were vpon the morow thence departed she by her commaundement caused the pallace to
Christum Domini ad effundendum sanguinem innocentem Chron. de Crouland Not long after the coronation of this king a cloud was seene throughout the land which appeared the one halfe like bloud and the other halfe like fire And changed after into sondry colours and vanished at the last in the morning Shortly after the appearaunce of this cloud in the iij. yeare of his raigne the Danes arriuing in sondry places of the land first spoyled Southhampton either slaying the inhabitants or leading them captiue away FroÌ„ thence they went to the I le of Thanet then they inuaded Chester from thence they proceeded to Cornwall and Deuonshire so to Sussex where in those coastes they did much harme and so retired to their ships agayne Roger Houeden writing hereof sayth that London the same tyme or as Fabian sayth a great part of London was consumed with fire About this tyme fell a variance betwene the foresayd Egelred and the bishop of Rochester In so much that he made warre against him and besieged the Citie And notwithstaÌ„ding that Dunstan required the king sending him admonishment to geue ouer for the sake of S. Andrew yet continued he his siege till the bishop offred him an huÌ„dreth pounds of gold which he receaued and so departed The Danes seing the discord that then was in the realme and specially the hatred of the subiectes against the kyng rose againe and did great harme in diuers places of England In so much that the king was glad to graunt them great summes of mony for peace to be had For the assuraÌ„ce of which peace Analeffe captaine of the Danes became a christen man and so returned home to his countrey did no more harme Besides these miseries before recited a sore sicknes of the bloudy flixe and hote feuers fell among the people wherof many died with a like moraine also among the beastes Moreouer for lacke of iustice many thieues rioters and bribers were in the land with much miserie and mischiefe About the xi yeare some say the ix yeare of this kings raigne died Dunstan After whom succeded Ethelgarus or as Iornalensis writeth Stilgarus After him Elfricus as affirmeth Guliel lib. 1. de pontif But as Polydorus sayth Siricius After him Elfricus came but Siritius after the mynd of William Lib. 1. But Polydorus sayth Aluritius theÌ„ Elphegus c. About the same tyme in the yeare of our Lord 995. Aldunus Bishop translated the body of S. Cuthbert from Chester which first was in a Northren Iland theÌ„ at Rochester to Durelme or Dunoline Wherupon the bishops sea of Duresme first began Not long after the death of Dunstane the Danes agayne entred England in many and sondry places of the land In such sorte that the kyng was to seeke to which coast he should go first to withstand his enemies And in conclusion for the auoyding of more harme he was compelled to appease them with great summes of mony But when that money was spent they fell to new robbyng of the people and assailing the land in diuers places not only about the countrey of Northumberland but also besieged the Citie of London at the last But being froÌ„ thence repulsed by the manhood of the Londoners they strayd to other countreys adioyning as to Essex Kent Sussex and Hampshire burnyng and killing where so euer they weÌ„t so that for lacke of a good head or gouernour many things in the land perished For the king gaue himselfe to the vice of lecherie and polling of his subiects and disinherited meÌ„ of their possessions and caused them to redeeme the same agayne with great summes of money for he payed great tribute to the Danes yerely which was called Danegelt Which tribute so increased that from the first tribute of x. M. pouÌ„d it was brought at last in processe of v. or vj. yere to xl M. pound The which yearely during to the comming of S. Edward and after was leuied of the subiects of this land To this sorow moreouer was ioyned hunger penury among the commoÌ„s in so much that euery one of theÌ„ was constrained to plucke steale from other So that what for the pillage of the Danes and what by inward thieues and bribers this land was brought into great affliction Albeit the greatest cause of this affliction as to me appeareth is not so much to bee imputed to the kyng as to the dissention among the Lordes themselues who theÌ„ did not agree one with another But when they assembled in consultation together eyther they did draw diuers ways or if any thing were agreed vpon any matter of peace betwene the parties soone it was broken againe or els if any good thing were deuised for the preiudice of the enemy anone the Danes were warned therof by some of the same counsaile Of whom the chiefe doers were Edrike Duke of Mercia and Alfrike the Admirall or captain of the ships who betrayed the kings nauy to the Danes Wherefore the kyng apprehending Alfagarus sonne of the said Alfrike put out his eyes and so did he after to the two sonnes of Duke Edrike in like maner The Danes thus preuayling more and more ouer the english men grew in such pride presumption that when they by strength caused the husbandmen to care and sowe the land and to do all other vile labour belongyng to the house they would sitte at home holding the wife at theyr pleasure with daughter and seruaunt And when the husband man came home he should scantly haue of his own as his seruants had so that the Dane had all at his will till taring of the best when the owner scantly had his fill of the worst Thus the common people beyng of them oppressed were in such feare and dread that not onely they were constrained to suffer them in their doings but also glad to please them called euery one of them in the house where they had rule Lord Dane Which worde after in processe of tyme when the Danes were voyded was for despite of the Danes turned of the english men to a name of opprobry that when one English man would rebuke an other he would for the more part call him Lurdaine And thus hitherto through the assistaunce of Christ we haue brought this history to the yere of our lord 1000. During now continuing these great miseries vpon this English natioÌ„ the land being brought into great ruine by the grieuous tribute of the Danes and also by sustainyng the manifold villarâ—ies and iniuries as wel by them as by other oppressions within the realm This yere which was the yeare of our sauiour 1000. This Egelred through the counsail of certain his familiars about him in the 21. yeare of his raigne began a matter which was occasion eyther geuen by the one or taken by the other of a new plague to ensue vpon the SaxoÌ„s who had driuen out the
and here againe I take his regall gouernment from him charging and forbidding all christen men that haue bene sworne vnto him whom I discharge here of their oth that hereafter they obey him in nothing but to take Rodolphus to their king who is elected by many princes of the Prouince For so right it is and conuenient that as Henry for his pride stubburnes is depriued of his dignitie and possession so Rodolphus being gratefull to all men for his vertue and deuotion be exalted to the Imperiall throne domination Therfore O you blessed prince of the Apostles graunt to this and confirme with your authoritie that I haue sayd so that all meÌ„ may vnderstand if you haue power to bynd and loose in heauen you haue also power in earth to geue take away Empires kingdoms principallities and whatsoeuer here in earth belongeth to mortall men For if yov haue power to iudge in such matters as appertain to God what then should we thinke you haue of these inferior prophane things And if it be in your power to iudge the angels ruling ouer proud princes what then shall it be seen â—â—â— you to do vpon their seruants Therfore let the kings vnderstand by this example all other princes of the world what you be able to do in heauen what you are with God that thereby they may feare to contemn the commaundement of holy church And now doe you exercise this iudgement quickely vpon Henricus whereby all men may see this sonne of iniquitie to fall from hys kingdome not by any chaunce but by your prouision and onely worke Notwithstanding this I would craue of you that he being brought to repentance through your intercession yet in the day of iudgement may finde fauour and grace with the Lord. Actum Romae Nonis Martij indictione 3. Furthermore Pridebrand Driveur and not yet content with this interditeth deposeth also Guibertus Archb. of RaueÌ„na for taking the Emperors part commaunding all priestes to geue no maner obedience to him and sendeth thether to Rauenna an other Archb. with full authoritie After vpon this Henricus Rodulphus to try the matter by the sword coped together in battaile not without bloudshed where Henricus by the fauour of God against the iudgement of Hildebrand had the victory Rodulphus there greatly wounded in the conflict was had out of the army and caried to Hyperbolis where he commaunded the bishops chief doers of his conspiracy to be brought before him when they came he listed vp his right hand in which he had taken his deadly wound and sayd This is the hand which gaue the oth and sacrament vnto Henricus my Prince and which through your instigatioÌ„ so oft hath fought against him in vaine Now go and performe your first othe allegeance to your king for I must to my fathers and so dyed Thus the Pope gaue battaile but God gaue the victory Henricus after his enemy beyng thus subdued and warres being ceased in Germany forgate not the old iniuries receiued of Hildebrand by whom he was twise excommunicate expulsed from his kingdom and iii. daies making humble sute yea that in sharpe winter coulde find no fauour with him Besides that he incited moreouer aided his enemy against him wherfore calleth together a councell or assembly of diuers bishops of Italy LoÌ„bardy and Germany at Brixia an 1083. where he purged himself accused the bishop Hildebrand of diuers crimes to be an usurper periured a Necromanser Sorcerer a lower of discord complaining moreouer of wrongs iniuries done by the bishop and church of Rome in that the church of Rome preferred the bishop before him wheÌ„ that his father being emperor before him had inthronised set in diuers sundry bishops there by his assignment with out all other electioÌ„ And now this bishop contrary to his oth promise made thrust in himself without the wil and knowlege of him being their king and magistrate For in the time of his father Henricus 3. This Hildebrand wyth other bound themselues with a corporall oth that so long as the Emperour and his sonne now beyng kyng should liue they should neither themselues presume nor suffer any other to aspire to the Papal seat without the assent and approbation of the foresayd Emperours which now this Hildebrand contrary to his corporal oth had done wherfore the foresaid councel with one agrement condeÌ„ned this Gregory that he should be deposed The tenor of which condemnation is thus expressed in Abbate Vrspergensi The Sentence of the Councell of Brixia against Hildebrand BEcause it is not vnknown this bishop not to be elected of God but to haue intruded himselfe by fraud and money who hath subuerted all Ecclesiasticall order who hath disturbed the gouernment of the Christian Empery manasing death of body and soule against our catholike peaceable king who hath set vp maintayned aperiured kyng sowyng discorde where concorde was causing debate amongst friends slaÌ„ders offences amongest brethrenne diuorcementes and separation amongest the maried for he tooke away the mariage of priests as Henricus Mutius witnesseth and finally disquieting the peaceable state of all quiet lyfe therefore we here in the name authoritie of God congregate together with the Legates handes of 19. Bishops the day of Pentecost at Mentz doe proceed in Canonicall iudgement against Hildebrand a man most wicked preaching sacriledge and burning maintaining periury and murthers callyng in question the Catholike fayth of the body and bloud of the Lord a follower of diuination and dreames a manifest Necromancer a Sorcerer and infected with a Pythonicall spirite and therefore departed from the true fayth we iudge hym to be deposed expelled And vnlesse he hearyng this shall yelde and depart the seate to be perpetually condemned Inacted vij Calend. Iulij feria 5. indictione 3. This being enacted sent to Rome they elected Guibertus Archbishop of Rauena in the place of Hildebrand to gouerne the Church of Rome named Clemens 3. But when Hildebrand neither would geue ouer his hold nor geue place to Clement the Emperour gathering an army to send to Italy came to Rome to depose Gregory and to place Clement But Hildebrand sendyng to Matilda the Countesse before in eÌ„tioned required in remission of al hee sinnes to withstand Henry the Emperor and so she did Notwithstanding Henricus preuailyng came to Rome where he besieged the Citie all the Lent and after Easter got it the Romaines being compelled to open the gates vnto him so he comming to the temple of S. Peter there placeth ClemeÌ„t in his Papacy Hildebrand straight flieth into Adrians tower with his adherents where he beyng beset round about at length sendeth for Robert Guiscardus his frend a Norman in the mean time while Robertus collecteth his power the Abbot of Chiniake couferryng with Gregory exhorteth him to crowne Henricus emperor in Lateran which
Lord and to reforme the same and not only to reforme and amend his fault but also to satisfy it to the vttermost if the law shall so require him Wherfore seing he is so willing to recōpēce satisfy the iudgemēt of the church in al things appertaining to the church refusing no order that shal be takē but in al thīgs submitting his neck to the yoke of Christ with what right by what canon or reason can you interdict him or vse excommunication against him It is a thing laudable a vertue of great cōmendation in wise men wisely to goe with iudgement and reason and not to be caried with puffes of hasty violence Whereupon this is the onely and common petition of vs all that your fatherly care will diligently prouide for your flocke and sheepe committed to you so that they miscary not or runne to any ruine through any inconsiderate or to much heady counsell in you but rather through your softnes and sufferance they may obtayne life peace and security It doth moue vs all that we heare of late to be done by you agaynst the Byshop of Salisbury the Deane of the same church prosperously as some men suppose against whom you haue geuen out the sentence of excommunication and condemnation before any question of their crime was following therein as seemeth more the heat of hastynesse then the path of righteousnesse This is a new order of iudgement vnheard of yet to this day in our lawes and canons first to condemne a man and then to enquire after of the fact committed Which order least ye should hereafter attempt to exercise in like maner agaynst our soueraigne and king or agaynst vs and our Churches and Parishes committed to vs to the detriment of the Pope and the holy church of Rome and to the no little confusion of vs all therefore we lay here agaynst you for our selues the remedy of appellation And as before openly in the publicke face of the Church with liuely voyce we appealed to the Pope for feare of certayne perils that might haue happened So now agayn in writing we appeale to the same assigning the terme of our appellation the day of the Lordes Ascention Most humbly and reuerently beseching your goodnesse that you taking a better way with you in this matter will let your cause fall sparing herein both the labours and charges as well of your selfe as ours also And thus we wish you right well to fare reuerend in the Lord. The rescript or aunswere agayne of Thomas Becket to all his suffraganes not obeying but confuting their counsayle sent FRaternitatis Gestra scriptum quod tamen prudentia Gestra cōmuni consilio non facilè credimus emanasse nuper ex insperat◠suscepimus c. Your brotherly letters sent albeit not by the whole assent of your wisedomes written as I suppose of late I receiued vpon a sodayne the contentes whereof seeme to contayne more sharpenesse then solace And would to God they proceeded more of sincere zeale of godliness or affection of charity then of disobedience or froward wilfulnesse For charity seketh not the thinges that be his owne but which appertayne to Iesus Christ. It had bene your duety if there be truth in the Gospel as most vndoubtedly there is and if you would faythfully haue accomplished his busines whose person you represent rather to haue feared him which can cast both body and soule to hell then him whose power extendeth no further then to the body rather to haue obeyed God then man rather your Father then your Maister or Lord after the example of him who was to his Father obedient vnto the death Which dyed for vs leauing vs example to follow hys steps Let vs dye therefore with him and lay downe our liues for the deliueraunce of his Church out of the yoke of bondage and tribulation of the oppressor which Church he hath founded and whose libertye he hath procured with his owne proper bloud Least if we shall do otherwise it may happely fall vpon vs whiche is written in the Gospell Who so loueth his owne life more then me is not worthy of me This ye ought to know that if it be right which your captayne commaundeth your duety requireth to obey his will if not ye ought then rather to obey God then men One thing I will say if I may be so bolde to tell it vnto you I haue now suffered and abstayned a long space wayting if the Lord had geuen you to take a better hart vnto you which haue turned away cowardly your backes in the day of battayle or if any of you would haue returned againe to stand like a wall for the house of Israel at least if he had but shewed himselfe in the field making but the countenaunce of a warrier agaynst them which cease not dayly to infest the Lambe of God I wayted and none came I suffered and none rose vp I held my peace none would speake I dissembled and none would stand with me in like semblance Wherefore seing I see no better towardnesse in you thys remayneth onely to enter action of complaynt agaynst you and to cry agaynst mine enemies Rise vp O Lord and iudge my cause reuenge the bloud of the church which is wasted and oppressed The pride of them which hate his libertye riseth vp euer neyther is there any that doth good no not one Woulde God brethren beloued there were in you any minde or affection to defend the libertye of the Churche for she is builded vpon a sure rocke that although she be shaken yet she can not be ouerthrowne And why then seek ye to confoūd me Nay rather your selues in me then me in you A man which hath taken vpon me all the peril haue sustained all the rebukes haue sustained all the iniuries haue suffered also for you all to the very banishment And so it was expedient one to suffer for that Church that thereby it might be released out of seruitude These thinges discusse you simply with your selues and weigh the matter Attend I say dilligently in your mindes for your partes that God for his part remouing from your eies all maiesty of rule and impery as he is no accepter of persons may take from your hartes the veile that ye may vnderstand and see what ye haue done what ye entend to do and what ye ought to do Tell me which of you all can say I haue taken from him since the time of my promotion either Oxe or Asse if I haue defrauded him of any peny If I haue misiudged the cause of any man wrōgfully Or if by the detrimēt of any person I haue sought my owne gaine let him complayn I will restore him fourefolde And if I haue not offēded you what then is the cause that ye thus leaue and forsake me in the cause of God Why bend ye so your selues agaynst me in such a cause that there is none more speciall belonging to the
maūdy thursday wherefore the Iewes were burned he coūted a Saint an 1177. Ireland subdued to the crowne of England by thys king an 1177. Ex varijs Chron. Under the raigne of the sayd king Henry about the 25 yeare of his raigne Ludouicus the frenchking by the vision of Thomas Becket appearing to him in his dreame promising to him the recouery of his sonne if he would resort to him at Canterbury made his iourney into England to visite S. Thomas at Caunterbury with Phillip Earle of Flaunders where he offered a rich cup of golde with other pretious iewels a 100. vessels of wine yearely to be geuen to the Couent of the church of Caūterbury notwithstanding the sayd Phillip in his return from England taking his iourney to Paris to visite S. Deuis in the same his pilgrimage was strickē with such colde that he fell into a palsey and was benumbed of the right side of his body an 1178. Iornalensis alij Stephanus Episcopus Redomonsis was wont to make many rimes and gaudish prose to delite the eares of the multitude to whom a litle before his death this verse was founded in his care Desine ludere temerè nitere properè surgere de puluere an 1178. Nic. Triuet Albingenses denyed transustantiation in the Sacrament of Christes body and bloud about the city of Tholouse also that matrimony was not a Sacrament c. an 1178 ibidem King Henry separated himselfe from his wife Alionor and held her many yeares in prison as some think for the loue of Rosamūde Which semeth to me to be the cause why God afterward stirred all his sonnes vp to warre agaynst him and to worke him much sorrow an 1179. Nic. Triuet Notwithstanding the sayd Alionor was shortly after reconciled to him S. Frideswide was translated vnto Oxford an 1179. An. 1180. There came to the councell of Pope Alexander one Pisanus Burgundio a man very cunning both in Brecke and Latin which brought and presented to the counsell the Homelyes of Chrisostome vpon the Gospell of S. Iohn translated out of Greeke into Latin and sayd that he translated likewise a great part of his exposition vpon Genesis saying moreouer that the sayd Chrisostome had made expositions in Greeke vpon the whole olde testament and also the new an 1180. The Monkes of Charterhouse first entred into this land an 1180. An. 1181. Richard Pech Byshopp of Couentry before his death renounced his bishoprick and became a Chanō in the Church of S. Thomas by Stafford Ex Chronico peruetusto cui initium In diebus sanctis Regis c. About the latter time of this king Henry one Hugo whō men were wont to call S. Hugh of Lincolne borne in Burgundy and Prior of the Monks of Charterhouse was preferred by the king to the Bishopricke of Lincoln who after his death is said to do great miracles and therfore was counted a Saynt an 1186. Flores Hist. Baldwinns Archbyshop of Caunterbury began the building of his new house and Church of Lambeth but by the letters of pope Clement 3. he was forbid to proceed in the building thereof an 1187. Triuet I do finde likewise in the foresaid written Chronicle remaining in the hands of one Williā Cary Citizen of Lōdō that this forenamed king Henry the 2. gaue to the court and church of Rome for the death of Becket 40. thousand markes of siluer And 5. thousand marks of gold an 1187. Mention was made a little aboue of Amalrike king of Ierusalē which destroyed Babylon so that it was neuer after to this day restored but lyeth wast and desolate wherein was fulfilled that which in the Prophets in so many places was threatened to Babylō before This Amalrike had a sonne named Baldwin a daughter called Sibilla Baldwine from the beginning of his raigne was a Leoper and had the falling sickenesse being not able for feeblenesse of body although valiaunt in hart and stomacke to satisfy that function Sibilla his sister was first maried to one Willermus Marques of Moūt Ferrat by whom she had a sonne called also Balwinus After him she was maried to another husband named Guido de Liziniaco Earle of Ioppe and of Ascalon Upon this befell that the foresaid Baldwine the Leoper sonne of Amalricus being thus feeble infirme as is sayd called his nobles together with his mother the Patriarche declaring to thē his inability and by the consentes of them committed the vnder gouernement of the City to Guido the husband of Sibilla his sister But he being found insufficiēt or els not lucky in the gouerning thereof the office was translated to another named Raimundus Earle of Tripolis In the meane time the Soldan with his Sarasins mightely preuayled agaynst the Christiās ouerran the countrey of Palestina In which meane time Baldwine the king departed Whereby the kingdome fell next to Baldwinus the sonne of Sibilla by her first husband Willermus The which Baldwinus being but fiue yeares olde was put to custody of Raimundus aforesayd Who also in his minority before he came to his crowne dyed whereby the next succession by dissent fell to Sibilla the wife of Guido aboue mentioned To whom the pieres and nobles ioyning together in coūsell offred to the sayde Sibilla as to the lawfull heyre to the crowne to be theyr Queene with this condition that she should sequester from her by solemne deuorsement the foresayd Guido her husband But she refused the kingdōe offered to her on that condition till at last the Magistrats with the nobles ingenerall graunted vnto her by theyr othes confirmed the same that whomesoeuer she woulde choose to be her husband all they would take and obey as theyr king Also Guido her husband with like petition among the rest humbly requested her that the kingdom not for his sake or for his priuate losse might be destitute of gouernement At length she with teares consenting to theyr entreaty was contented and solemnely was crowned theyr Queene who after the maner agayne receiued theyr fidelity by theyr othe Whereupon Guido without all hope both of wife and kingdome departed home quietly to his owne This done the Queene assembling her states and prelates together entred talke with thē about the choosing of the king according to that which they had promised and sworne vnto her and to obey him as theyr king whom she would name to be her husbande Thus while they were all in great expectation wayting euery man whome she would nominate The Queene with a loud voyce sayd to Guido that stood amongst them Guido my Lord I choose thee for my husbād and yelding my selfe and my kingdome vnto you openly I protest you to be the king At these words al the assembly being amased wondred that one simple woman so wisely had beguiled so many wise men And worthy no doubt was she to be commended and extolled for her singuler vertue
Embassadours the king also at Canterb. by letters as it should seeme certified from hys owne ambassadors waited their comming Where the 13. day of May the king receaiued them making vnto them an othe that of and for al things wherin he stode accursed he woulde make ample restitution and satisfaction Vnto whom also all the Lords Barons of England so many as there were with the king attending the Legates coÌ„ming sware in like maner and that if the king would not accoÌ„plish in euery thing the othe which he had taken that then they wold cause him to hold and confirme yâ— same whether that he wold or not or by strength to vse the authors words Then submitted the king himselfe vnto the Court of Rome and to the pope And resigning gaue vp his dominions and realmes of Englande Ireland from him and from his heires for euermore yâ— should come of him Wyth this condition that the king and his heirs should take againe these two dominions of the Pope to forme paying yearely therfore to the Court of Rome a 1000. Markes of siluer Then tooke the King the crowne from hys heade kneeling vpon his knees in the presence of all his Lordes Barons of England to Pandulphe the popes chiefe legate saying in this wise Here I resigne vp the crowne of the realme of England to the Popes hands Innocent the third put me wholy in his mercy and ordinance Then tooke Pandolphe the crowne of king Iohn and kept it 5. daies as a possession seazon taking of these two realmes of England and Ireland Continuing also al things promised by his charter obligatorie as foloweth The copie of the letter obligatorie that K Iohn made to the Pope concerning the yelding vp of the crowne and the Realme of Englande into the Popes hands for a certaine summe of money yearely to be paide TO al christen people throughout the world dwelling Iohn by the grace of God K of England greeting To your vniuersitie known be it that forasmuch as we haue greeued offended God our mother church of Rome forasmuch as we haue neede of the mercy of our Lord Iesu Christ we may nothing so worthy offer coÌ„perent satisfactioÌ„ make to God to holy church but if it were our own body as with our realms of EnglaÌ„d of Ireland Then by the grace of the holy ghost we desire for to meke vs for the loue of him that meked him to the death vpon the crosse And through counsell of the nobles earles Baroâ—â— we offer frely graunt to God to the apostles S. Peter Paul and to our mother church of Rome to our holy father Pope InnoceÌ„t the 3. to al the popes that come after him all the realme patronages of churches of England of Ireland with all the appurtenaÌ„ces for remission of sins helpe health of our kings soules of al christeÌ„ soules So that froÌ„ this time afterward we wil receiue hold of our mother church of Rome as in ferme doing sealtie to our holy father the Pope Innocent the 3. and to all the Popes that come after him in the maner abouesayd And in the presence of the wise man Pandolphe the Popes Southdeacon wee make liege homage as it were in the popes presence we before him were that he himselfe shuld haue done al maner things abouesaid and therto we bind vs all that come after vs our heires for euermore without any gainsaying to the pope eke the ward of the church vacant And in token of this thing euer for to last we will confirme ordaine that he be our speciall renter of the foresaide realmes sauing S. Peter pence in all thing To the mother church of Rome paying by yere a 1000. markes of siluer at 2. times of the yere for al maner customes that we should do for the saide realmes that is to seine at Michelmas at Easter that is for England 700 markes and 300. markes for Ireland Sauing to vs to our heires our iustices and our other franchises And all these things that before ben said we will that it be firme stable without end to that obligation we all our successors our heirs in this maner beth bound that if we or any of our heirs through any presumption fal in any point againe these things aboue sayd and he bene warned and wiâ—l not right amend him he shall then lese the foresaid realmes for euermore and this charter of obligation and our warrant for euermore be firme and stable without gainsaying We shal from this day afterward be true to God to the mother church of Rome to thee Innocent the 3. and to all that commen after thee and the Realmes of Englande and of Ireland we shall mainteine trewlich in all maner pointes against all maner men by our power through Gods helpe Upon this obligation the king was discharged the 2. day of Iuly from that Tirannicall interdiction vnder which he continued 6. yeares and 3. monethes But before the releasement therof first he was miserably coÌ„pelled as hath bene declared to geue ouer both hys crowne scepter to that Antichrist of Rome for the space of 5. daies and his client vassall feudary and tenant to receiue it againe of him at the handes of an other Cardinall being bounde obligatorily both for himselfe for his successours to paie yerely for a knowledge therof a M. marks for England Ireland Then came they thether from all partes of the Realme so many as had their consciences wounded for obeying their liege king as blind Idiotes and there they were absolued euery one of his own bishop except yâ— spirituall fathers and Ecclesiastical souldiours for they were compelled to seake to Rome as captiues reserued to the popes owne fatherhoode In this new ruffeling the King easily graunted that abbots deanes and curates shoulde be elected freely euery where so that the lawes of the realme were truly obserued But against that were the bishops alledging their Canonical decrees and rules synodal determiniâ—g the king therein to haue nothing a do but only to geue his consent after that they had once elected But among this shauen rable some there were which consented not to this wicked errour A sort also there were of the prelates at that time which were not pleased that that lands interdiction shoulde cease til the king had paid al yâ— which their Clergy in all quarters of the realme had demaunded without reason yea what euery saucie sir Iohn for hys part demaÌ„ded euen to the very breaking of their hedges the stealing of theyr appels and their other occasional damages which grew to an incredible summe and impossible to be answered Such was the outragious cruel noyse of that mischieuous progenie Antichrist against their naturall king Notwithstanding that which is vttered afore concerning the bitter malice of the Clergye against their Prince yet
subiect In the which Parliament time was prefixed for taking their iourney which shoulde be after the feast of S. Iohn Baptist the next yeare insuing Also they that were croysed were sworne to persist in their purpose and sentence of the popes great curse denouÌ„ced to all them that went from the same Parisiens fol. 211. Furthermore for the better speede in his iourny the king through al his realme caused it to be proclaimed that if any marchaÌ„t or other had bene iniured at any time by the kings exactours either by oppression or borowing of money let him bring foorth his bil shewing how or wherein and he should be recompensed At which time William Longspatha a worthy warriour with the Bishop of Worcester and certain other great men in the Realme of England mooued with the example of the Frenchmen prepared themselues likewise to the same iourney The next yere after thys ensuing which was 1248. the French king yet still remaining in hys purposed iourney Lady Blanche hys mother also the Byshop of Paris hys brother with the Lordes of his counsaile other nobles and his speciall frends aduertised him with great perswasions to alter hys minde touching that so aduenturous and so daungerous a iourney for that his vow sayd they was vnaduisedly made and in time of his sicknesse when hys minde was not perfectly stablished and what ieoperdies might happen at home it was vncertaine the king of England being on the one side the Emperor on the other side and the Pictauians in the middest so fugitiue and vnstable and as concerning his vow the pope shuld frendly dispense with him considering the necessitie of his realme and weakenesse of his body Besides all thys his mother vppon her blessing required him hys brethren of all loues desired him to stay at home and not in his person to adueÌ„ture other might be sent in his roume with no lesse furniture to atchieue that enterprise and to discharge him of his vow especially seeing at the making thereof his senses were feeble hys body weake and reason through sicknesse and very death almost decaied To whome the K. againe for so much sayde he as you say that for feeblenes of my senses I tooke this vow vpon me loe therfore as you here wil me I lay downe the crosse that I tooke and putting his hand to his shoulder tare of the badge of the crosse saying to the Byshop here syr I resigne to you the crosse wherew t I was signed At the sight wherof there was no smal reioysing to all that were there present To whome the king then both altering his countenance and hys speach thus spake My frendes sayde he whatsoeuer I was then in my sicknes now I thaÌ„ke god I am of perfect sense and reason souÌ„d and now I require my crosse again to be restored vnto me Saying moreouer that no bread shuld come in his head before he were recognised again with the same crosse as he was before At the hearing whereof al there present were astonied supposing that God had some great matter to worke and so mooued no moe questions vnto him Upon this drewe nie the feast of Iohn Baptist which was the time set for the setting foorth And nowe being in a readines the king in few dayes after was entring his iorney But yet one thing lacked For the King perceiuing the mortal variance betwene the pope and good Frederick the Emperour thought best first before his going to haue that matter appeased wherby his way both might be safer through the Emperours countries and also lesse ieoperdy at home after hys departure and therefore vpon the same tooke first his way to Lyons where the Pope was partly to take his leaue but most especially to make recoÌ„cilement betwene the Emperour and the Pope Where is to be noted by the way that as touching the good Emperour there was no lette nor staie Who rather sought all meanes how to compasse the popes fauor neuer could obteine it In so much that before he shuld be excommunicated in the Councel of Lyons he not onely answered sufficiently by Thadeus his atturney discharging himselfe against whatsoeuer crimes or obiections could be brought against him but so farre humbled himselfe to the Pope and the Councell that for all detriments damages losses or wrongs done of hys part what amendes soeuer the Pope could or would require he would recompence it to the vttermost This would not be taken Furthermore if the Pope hee sayde coulde not abide his tarying in his owne dominions and Empire he wold goe fight against the Saracens and Turkes neuer to returne into Europe againe offering there to recouer lands kingdomes whatsoeuer did at any time belong to Christendome so that the Pope onely would be contented that Henry his sonne which was then nephew to king Henry here in England should be Emperour after him Neither could this be admitted Then he offered for trueth of hys promise to put in the French king and the king of England to be his Suerties or els for triall of his cause to stand to their award and arbitrement Neither would that be graunted At least he desired that he might come himselfe and answere before the councell But the proude Pope in no case would abide that saying that he did not yet finde himselfe so ready and meete for Martyrdome to haue hym to come thether to the Councell for if he did he would depart himselfe c. Ex Math. Paris fol. 187. An. 1245. This obstinate rancor and deuiâ—ish malice of pope Innocent and hys predecessour against that valiant Emperor and against the Grecians what disturbance and mischiefe it wrought to the whole Churche what strength it gaue to the Saraceus and Tartarians howe it empaired Christian concorde and weakened all Christen lands not only the host of the French king did finde shortly after but christendome euen to this day may and doth feele and rue Neither can in stories be founde any greater cause which first made the Turks so strong to get so much grouÌ„d oner christendom as they haue then the pestileÌ„t working of this pope in deposing excommunicating this worthy Emperour For as there was neuer no Emperour of long time which more victoriously preuailed in bridling and keping vnder these enemies of Christ or would haue done more against them then the said Fred. if he might haue ben suffered so after the deposing excommunicating of him when the French king neither woulde abide at home as he was counselled neither was yet able wtout the help of other to withstand the force and multitude of the sayd SaraceÌ„s and Tartarians being now ioyned together neither yet could the Emperour be suffered by the pope to rescue the king it followed thereof that the good king being taken prisoner all his army destroied the Turkes thereupon got such a hand and such a courage against the Christians that euer since
Simon hys sonnes power not knowing of the ouerthrow whiche he had before gaue small credite thereunto till that the said Nicholas the better to view and descrie them went vp to the Abbey steple of Eusham where he might plainly discerne them all and their standerds For by this tyme they were mounted the hill which they laboured to attayne thinking to haue that vauntage when they shold geue theyr charge as they had purposed and had also aduanced agayn his own standerdes and pulled down Simons wherby they were the more easâ—yer descried and knowne Then he cryed aloud to the Earle Simon and said we are all but dead men For it is not your sonne as you suppose that commeth but it is Edward the kinges sonne that commeth from one parte and the Earle of Gloucester from an other part and Roger Mortimer from the third part Then said the Earle The Lorde be mercifull vnto our soules forasmuch as our bodyes and liues are now in their handes commaunding that euery man should make hymselfe redy to God and to fight out the field for that it was their willes to dye for their lawes and in a iust quarrell And such as woulde depart he gaue leaue to goe their wayes that they shoulde be no discomfiture to the rest Then came vnto him his eldest sonne Henry comforted him desiring him to haue no dispaire nor yet mistrust in the good successe of this victory with other such cheerfull wordes No my sonne sayth he I dispayre not but yet it is thy presumption and the pride of the rest of thy brethreÌ„ that haue brought me to this end ye see Notwithstanding yet I trust I shall dye to God and in a righteous quarrel After wordes of comfort geuen to all his host and the oration made as is the maner they all armed themselues The king also whom the Earle alwaies kept with him he armed in an armour of his owne And then deuiding theyr battailes they marched toward theyr enemies but before they ioyned the welchmen ran theyr waies and thinking to scape ouer the riuer of Dee were there some drowned some slayne Then when the battayles ioyned and came to handy strokes within short space many of the Erles part fell and were slayne And the king himselfe being stroken at cryed with a loud voyce to them saying kill me not I am Henry your king And with these the kinges wordes the Lord Adam Monhaut knewe him and saued him At whose voyce and cry came also prince Edward hys sonne and deliuered him to the garde and custody of certayne knightes In the meane season the Earle Simon was hard bestead and beaten downe and also slayne before Edward the prince came at hym Howbeit before he fell when as ye fought for his life HeÌ„ry his sonne other noble men on his part were about hym he brake out in these words vnto hys enemies saying what is there no mercy compassion with you who agayne answered what compassion should there be shewed to traytors Then sayd he the Lord be mercifull to our soules our bodyes are in your hands And as soone as these wordes were spoken they mangled hys body and deuided his members and cut of his head which head Roger Mortimer sent vnto his wife And not farre of from him also was slayne Henry his eldest sonne the lord Hugh Spencer the L. Radulphe Basset the Lord Thomas de Hestele the Lord William Maundeuile the Lord Iohn Bewchampe the Lord Guido Baillofer the Lord Roger Rowley and many other noble men besides with a great multitude of people the Lord knoweth howe many This battail was fought in the moneth of August continued from one of the clocke till it was night in the which was not so much as one man on the Earles part of any estimation fortitude and courage but in that battell lost his life more then the Lord Iohn who by the great grace of God escaped death Neither is this to be forgotteÌ„ that the same day being Tuesday at that instant houre when the battell began whiche was at one of the clocke at after noone there was such a darcknes ouer all such thunder and such tempest that the like before that time was neuer seene being very calme and fayre weather both immemediately before and after which seemed sayth myne author to geue a playne demonstration of that whiche afterward chaunced and followed After this great slaughter and ouerthrow there was a Parliament suÌ„moned at Winchester by the Earle of Gloucester and other of hys part Here by the is to be considered that the king although he was in the camp of the Erle of Leceister being then in custody and his sonne Edward with the Earle of Gloucester yet the king was in that side agaynst his will and therefore in the sayd Parliament the king was restored to his kingly dignitie which was before that tyme vnder the custody of the Barons But after the battaile was ended and done certaine of them that loued the Earle vpon an old ladder gathered vp suche partes of his body as remayned and couering the same with an old gowne brought it to Eusham where they putting the same in a faire linnen cloth buried it in the church But not loÌ„g after by such as thought not themselues sufficiently reuenged with his death to wreke them of the dead corpes took vp the same and threw it in an other place saying that he which was both accursed and a traytor was not worthy of Christen buriall The same yeare also died Walter Cantilupus Byshop of Winchester after whom succeeded Nicholas of Ely the kinges Chauncellor The same yeare the king perceiuing that vnlesse that Castle of Kenilworth were recouered and the boldnes of theÌ„ restrayned that kept the same many euils and inconueniences might ensue therupon to the preiudice of his kingdom for that the number increased euery day more more wasting and spoyling the country all about Therfore he gathered an army and came downe to warwick where he a while taryed expecting the meeting and assembling of hys Marqueses and Lordes with engines and other munition sautable Who when theyr bondes were furnished and mustred and al thinges ready the morow after Midsomer day he displayed hys banner began his vyage marching towardes Kenilworth besieged the same During which siege by the aduise and counsaile of the king the Popes Legate and other noble men 12. persons were chose which should haue the disposing of those thinges that pertayned to the state of the Realme of those that had lost their landes and inheritaunces who amongest other thinges made and established this one prouiso that was commoÌ„ly called Kenelworth decree That all those whieh hast lost their laÌ„des by attaynder although yet not attainted should fyne therfore at the kinges pleasure and take their lands of him agayn paying some three yeares some foure yeares some two yeares reueneues of the same according to the quallitie
ordeined that priests should haue a part of the sacrifices that were offred in the tabernacle and the first begotten beastes both of men and beastes and other things as the lawe telleth And the other children of Leuy that serued in the tabernacle should haue tythings of the people to their liueloode of the which tythings they should geuen the priestes the tenth partie in forme of offering The children of Leuy both priestes and other shoulde haue houses and croftes and lesewes for their beasts in the land of behest none other heritage so God gaue theÌ„ their land of behest and bade them that they ne shoulde worship no other God then him Also he bade that they should kepe his coÌ„mandâ—ments and gift they did so all their enemies about them shuld drede theÌ„ and be their seruaunts And giue they worshipped false gods and so forsaken his lawes he bihight them that he woulde bring them out of that land make them serue their enemies but yet he said he would not benemen his mercy away from them if they would cry mercy and amende their defautes and all thys was done on Gods side And heere is much loue showed of God to man And who so looketh the Bible hee shall finde that man showed him little loue againeward for when they were come into their heritage they forgetten their God and worshipped false gods And God sent to them the Prophetes and his seruaunts * fele times to bidde them withdrawen them from their sinnes and other they haue slowen them or they beaten them or they ledde them in prison and oft times God tooke vpon them great vengeance for their sinnes when they cried after helpen to God he sent them helpe and succour This is the generall processe of the old Testament that God gaue to his people by Moses his seruaunt And al this Testament and this doing ne was but a shadow and a figure of a newe Testament that was geuen by Christ. And it was byhoten by Ieremie the Prophet as S. Paul beareth witnes in the Epistle that he wryteth to the Iewes And Ieremy sayeth in this wise Loe dayes shall come God sayth and I will make a new band to the house of Israel and to the house of Iuda not like the forward that I made with their fathers in that day that I tooke their hand to leade them out of the lande of Egypt the which forward they maden veyne and I had Lordship ouer them But this shal be the forward that I wold make with them after those daies I wil geue my lawes with them in their inwardnes and I will wryten them in their hearts and I wil be their God and they should be my people and after that a man shall not teach his neighbour ne his brother For all God sayeth from the least to the most should knowe me for I will forgeuen them their sinnes and I wil no more thinke on their sinnes Thys is the newe Testament that Christe both God and man borne of the maid Marye he taught here in this worlde to bryng man our of sinne and out of the deuils thraldome and seruice to heauen that is land of blisse and heritage to all tho that beleeuen on him and kepen hys commaundements and for his teaching he was done to the death But the third day arose againe from death to life and fette Adam and Eue and many other folke out of hell and afterward he came to his disciples and comforted them After he stied vp to heauen to his father and tho hee sent the holy Ghost amonges his disciples and in time comming he wol come and demen all mankinde after their werkes and after the wordes he spake vpon earth some to blisse with in body and in soul euer withouten end and some to paine withouten end both in body and in soule This is our beloue and all christen mennes and this beleue is the first poynt of the newe Testament that yche Christen man is holde stedfastly to beleue and rather to suffe the death thair forsaken this beleue and so this beleue is the bread of spirituall life in forsaking sinne that Christ brought vs to life But for asmuch as mans liuing ne stondeth not all onlych by bread he hath ygilten vs a draught of water of life to drink And who that drinketh of that water he ne shall neuer afterward ben a thurst For this water is the cleare teaching of the gospel that encloseth seuen commaundements The first is this thou shalt loue thy GOD ouer all other things and thy brother as thy selfe both enemy and frend The second commaundement is of meekenes in the whych Christ chardgeth vs to forsake Lordship vppon our brethren and other wordly worships and so he did himselfe The third commandement is in stonding stedfastlich in truth and forsaking all falsenes The fourth commaundement is to suffer in this world diseases and wrongs withouten ageinstondings The fifth commandement is mercy to forgeuen our brethren their trespasse as often time as they gilteth without asking of vengeaunce The sixth commaundement is poorenes in spirite but not to ben a begger The seuenth commaundement is chastity that is a forsaking of fleshlich likings displeasing to God These commaundements enclosen the ten commaundements of the old law and somwhat more Thys water is a blessed drinke for christen mennes soule But more harme is much folke would drinke of thys water but they mowe not come thereto for God sayth by Ezechiel the prophet when iche geue to you the most cleane water to drinke ye troubled that water with your feete and that water so defouled yee geue my shepe to drink But the clene water is yhid fro the shepe and but gif God cleare this it is dread least the sheepe dyen for thurst And Christ that is the wisdome of the father of heauen well of thys wisdome that come from heauen to earth to teache man this wisdome thorow the which man should ouercome the sleights of the deuill that is principall enemy of mankinde haue mercy and pity of his people and shew if it be his will howe thys water is troubled and by whom and sith clere thys water that his sheepe mowne drinken hereof and kele the thurst of theyr soules Blessed more our Lord bene for he hath itaught vs in the Gospell that ere then hee woulde come to the vniuersall dome then should come many in his name and sayen that they weren Christ and they shoulden done many wonders and begilen many men And many false prophets shoulden arisen and begylen much folke A Lorde yblessed more thou ben of euerich creature which ben they that haue ysayd that they weren Christ haue thus begiled thus thy people Trulich Lord I trowe thilke that sayen that they ben in thy steede and binemen thy worship and maken thy people worshippen them as God haue hid thy lawes from the people Lorde who durst sit in thy
and thou bid in the olde law men fight for theyr countrey And thy selfe haddest two swordes in thy company when thou shouldest go to thy passion that as these clerkes seyn betokeneth a spirituall sword and a temporall sworde that thou gaue to thy vicar to rule with thy church Lord this is a sleight speech but Lord we beleuē that thou art king of blisse and that is thine heritage and mankindes countrey and in this worlde wee ne bene but straungers and pilgrimes For thou Lord ne art of this world ne thy law nether ne thy true seruauntes that kepen thy law And Lord thou were king of Iuda by enheritage if thou wouldest haue ihad it but thou forsooke it and pletedest not therfore ne fought not therfore ¶ But Lord for thy kinde heretage and mankindes countrey that is a land of blisse thou foughtest mightilich In battaile thou ouercame thy enemie so thou wonne thine heretage For thou that were a Lord mightiest in battail and also Lord of vertues are rightfullich king of blisse as Dauid saith in the Psalter But Lorde thine enemie smote the dispitesullich and had power of thee and hang thee vpō the crosse as thou haddest ben a these benomyn thee all thy clothes and sticked thee to the hart with a spere ¶ O Lord this was an hard assault of a battaile and here thou ouercome by paciē ce mightilich thine enemies for thou ne woldest not done against the will of thy father And thus Lorde thou taughtest thy seruants to fight for their countrey And Lorde this fighting was in figure itaught in the old law But Lord men holdē now the shadow of the old fighting leuen the light of thy fighting that thou taughtest openlych both in word and in deede ¶ Lord thou gaue vs a sword to fighten against our enemis for our conntrey that was thine holy teaching christen mens law But Lorde thy sworde is put in a shethe and in priests warde that haue forsake the fighting that thou taughtest For as they seyn it is against their order to ben mē of armes in thy battail for it is vnsemelich as they seyn that thy vicar in erth other hys priests shulden suffer of other mē And therfore gif any man smite him other any of his clerkes hee ne taketh it not in pacience but anon hee siniteth with his sworde of cursing and afterward with his bodylich sworde he doth them to death O Lord me thinketh that this is a fighting against kinde and much against thy teaching O Lorde whether axsedest thou after swerdes in time of thy passion to again stond thine enemies nay forsooth thou Lorde For Peter that smote for great loue of thee had no great thanke of thee for his smiting And Lorde thou were mighty ynough to haue againe stonde thine ennemies for through thy looking they fellen downe to the ground Lorde iblessed mote thou be Heere thou teachest vs that we shoulden suffren For thou were mighty ynow to haue agaynst and thine ennemies and thou haddest wepen and thy men weren harty to haue smitten O sweet Lord how may he for shame clepen himselfe thy Viker and head of the Church that may not for shame suffer Sithe thou art a Lord and sufferedst of thy subiectes to geuen vs ensāple and so did thy true seruauntes O Lord whether geue thou to Peter a spirituall sworde to curse a temporal swerd to sle mens bodies Lord I trow not for thē Peter that loued thee so much wold haue smitwith thy swerds But Lord he taught vs to blessen them that cursen vs and suffren and not smiten And Lord he fed thy people as thou bed him and therefore he suffered the death as thou didst O Lord why clepeth any man him Peters successor that hath forsaken patience and feedeth thy people with cursing and wyth smiting Lord thou saydest in thy Gospell when thy disciples knewen well that thou were Christ and that thou mustest goe to Ierusalem and sufferen of the Scribes and Pharises spittinges reprofes and also the death And Peter tooke thee aside and sayd God forbid that And Lord thou saydst to Peter goe behinde me Sathanas thou sclaunderest me in Israell For thou ne sauorest not thilke thinges that ben of God but thilke that ben of men Lord to mens wyt it is vnreasonable that thou or thy Vicar gif thou madest any on earth shoulden suffren of your suggets A Lord whether thou ordeynest an order of fighters to turne men to the beliefe Other ordeinest that knightes shoulden swear to fighte for thy wordes A Lord whether bede thou that gif a man turne to the fayth that he should geue his goodes and cattell to the Vicar that hath great Lordships and more then him needeth Lord I wot wel that in the beginning of the church men that weren cōuerted threwen adowne theyr goodes before the Apostles feete For all they weren in charitie and none of them sayd thus is myne ne Peter made himselfe no Lord of these goodes But Lord now he that clepeth himselfe thy Vicar vpon earth and successor to Peter hath ybroke thy commaundement of charitie for he is become a Lord. And he hath also broken thy commandement of mercy and also of patience Thus Lord we be fallen into great mischiefe and thraldome for our chiefetayne hath forsaken war and armes and haue treated to haue peach with our enemies A Lord gif it be thy will draw out thy swerd out of his sheth that thy seruauntes may fight therewith agaynst their enemies put cowardise out of our hartes And comfort vs in battaile or than thou come with thy sword in thy mouth to take vengeance on thine enemies For gif we bene accorded with our enemies til that time come it is dread least thou take vengeaunce both of thē and of vs together A Lord there is no helpe nowe in this great mischiefe but onely in thee Lord thou geuest vs a commaundement of truth in bidding vs say yea yea nay nay and sweare for nothing Thou geue vs also a maundement of meekenes and an other of poorenes But Lord he that clepeth himself thy Vicar on earth hath both ybrokē these commaundements for he maketh a law to compell men to sweare and by his lawes he teacheth that a man to saue his life may forsweare and lye And so Lord through cōfort of him and his lawes the people ne dreadeth not to sweare and to lye ne oft times to forswearen them Lord here is little truth O Lord thou hast ybrought vs to a liuing of soules that standes in beleeuing in thee keeping thy hestes and when we breaken thine hestes than we slen our soule And lesse harme it were to suffer bodylich death Lord king Saule brake thine hestes and thou tooke his kingdome from his heyres euermore after him and gaue it to Dauid thy seruaunt that kept thine hestes And thou saydst by Samuell thy prophat to Saule king that it
it was semelich that thou came in poorenes to prooue who wold loue thee and kepen thine hestes For gif thou haddest ycome in forme of a rich man and of a Lord men wold rather for they dread then for thy loue haue ykept thyne hestes And so Lord now thou might wel ysee which louen thee as they should in keeping thyne hestes For who that loueth thee in thy poorenes and in thy lownes needes he more loue thee in thy Lordship and highnesse But Lord the world is turned vpse downe men loue poore men but a litlene porenes neither But men be ashamed of poorenes and therefore Lord I trow that thou art a poore king And therefore I trow that he that clepeth himselfe thy vicare on earth hath forsaken poorenes as he hath do the remnaunt of thy lawe and is become a rich man and a Lord maketh his treasure vpon the earth that thou forbiddest in the Gospell And for his right and riches he will plete and fight curse And yet Lord he will segge that he forsaketh all thinges that he oweth as thy true disciple mete done after thy teaching in the Gospell But Lord thou ne taughtest not a man to forsaken his goodes and plete for them and fight and curse And Lord he taketh on him power to asloyle a man of all maner things but if it be of det Truely Lord me thinketh he knoweth litle of charitie For who that beth in charitie possesseth thy goodes in common and not in proper at his neighbours nede And then shall there none of them segge this is mine but it is Gods that God granteth to vs to spenden it to his worship And so if any of them boroweth a porcion of those goodes and dispendeth them to Gods worship God is apayed of this spending and alloweth him this true doyng And if God is payed of that dispeÌ„ding that is the principal Lord of those goods how dare anye of his seruauntes axen there of accountes other challenge it for dette Serten of one thing I am incerteine that these that charge so much det of worldly cattell they knowe little of Christes lawe of charitie For if Ich am a bayly of Gods goodes in the world If I see my brother in nede I am holde by charitie to part with him of these goodes to his nede and if he spendeth them well to the worshop of God I mote be well apayd as though I my selfe had spended them to the worship of GOD. And if the principall Lord is well payed of my brothers doyng and the despending of his goodes howe may I segge for shame that my brother is dettour to me of the goodes that I tooke hym to spend in Gods worship at his nede And if my brother spendeth amisse the goodes that I take him I am discharged of my deliueraunce of the goodes If I take him in charitie thilke goods at his nede And I am hold to be sory of his euill dispending ne I may not axen the goodes that I tooke him to his nede in forme of dette for at his neede they were his as well as myne And thus is my brother yholde to done to me gif he see me in nede and gif we bene in charitie little should we chargen of dette And ne we shold not axen so dertes as men that knowen not God And than we be poore in forsaking all thinges that we own For gif we ben in charitie we wollen nother fight nor curse ne plete for our goodes with our brethren O Lord thus thou taughtest thy seruauntes to lyuen And so they lyueden while they hadden good shepheards that fedden thy sheepe and robbed them nat of their lifelode as Peter thy good shepheard and thy other Apostles But Lord he that clepeth hym selfe thy vicar vpon earth and successour to Peter he robbeth thy puple of their bodylich lyfelode for he ordeneth proud shepherds to lyuen in ese by thâ—itenth party of poore mens trauell And he geueth them leue to lyuen where them lyketh And gif men no wolen wilfullich geuen them the tithinges they wolen han them agaynst their will by maysterye by cursing to maken theÌ„ riche ¶ Lord how may any man segge that such shepherdes that louen more the wolle then the sheepe and feden not thy sheepe in body ne in soul ne ben such rauenours theeues And who may segge that the mayntaynour of such shepherdes ne is not a maintenour of theeues and robbers How wole he assoyle shepherdes of their robbing without restitution of theyr goodes that they robben thy sheep of against their will Lord of all shepherdes blessed mote thou be For thou louedst more the sheepe then theeir wole For thou feedest thy sheepe both in body and soule And for loue of thy sheepe thou tooke thy death to bring thy sheepe ouâ— of Wolues mouthes And the most charge that thou gone to Peter was to feede thy sheepe And so he did truelich and took the death for thee and for thy sheepe For he came into the fold of shepe by the that were the dore And so I trowe a fewe other did as he did though they clepen himselfe successors to Peter for theyr workes showen what they ben For they robben and sleen and destroyen they robben thy sheepe of the tenth part of their trauel and feden themselfe in ease They sleen thy sheepe for they pyenen them for hunger of theyr soule to the death They destroyen the sheepe for with might and with sternship they rulen thy sheepe that for dred they beene disparsed abroade in mountaynes and there the wilde beasts of the field destroyeth theÌ„ for default of a good shepeheard ¶ O Lord gif it be thy will deliuer thy sheepe out of such sheepherdes ward that retcheth not of thy sheepe they han their wolle to make them selfe rich For thy shepe ben in great mischiefe and foule accombred with their shepheardes ¶ But for thy shepheardes wolden ben excused they haue ygeten them hyred men to feede thy people and these comen in sheepes clothing But dredles their workes shewen that with in forth they ben but Wolfes For han they theyr hyre they ne retcheth but a little howe sorilich thy sheepe ben kept For as they seggen themselfe they ben but hyred men that han no charge of thy sheepe And when the shulden feden thy sheepe in the plentuous lesewe of thy teaching they stonden betweene them theyr lesewe so that the sheepe ne han but a sight of thy lesewe but eaté they shall not therof But they fedeÌ„ them in a sorry sowre lesewe of lesinges of tales And so thy sheepe fallen into greeuous sicknes through this euill lesewe And gif any shepe breake ouer into thy lesewe to tasten the sweetnes therof anon these hyred men driue him out with hounds And thus thy shepe by these hyred men ben ykept out of their kindlich lesewe and
vnto conscience doth edefy vnto eternall damnation As it is said as touching the restitutioÌ„ of the spoyled goods Chap. Literas porro But to omit the hearing of the word of God for feare of excommunicatioÌ„ of men is a thing which is done against conscience Therefore to omit the hearing of the worde of God for excoÌ„munication doth edefy vnto eternal damnatioÌ„ And therfore coÌ„sequeÌ„tly ought not to be done for feare of any excommunication Wherfore a woman being iudged vnto a man whom she knoweth to be within the degrees of coÌ„sanguinity which Gods law hath prohibited ought not to obey that iudgement least that she offend against God but meekly patiently to sustain the excommunication as it appereth in the chapter before alledged So likewise all true christians ought rather then to offend agaynst God meekly to suffer the excoÌ„munication of men theÌ„ to omit the hearing of the word of God To this purpose also serueth that which is spoken in the 11. quest 3. He that feareth the omnipoteÌ„t God will not presume by any meanes to do any thing contrary vnto the gospell or apostles either contrary vnto the Prophetes or the institutions of yâ— holy fathers By these premises the 2. part o. this article is manifest that all such as do omit the hearing of the word of God for feare of excommunication of men they are already excommunicated And forsomuch as all christians being of lawfull age not repenting at the end shal be counted in a maner as traitors of Christ in the day of iudgement because that they were vnfaythfull seruauntes of Christ. Therefore they which through feare omit the preaching hearing the word of God for the excommunication of men shall be counted as trayers of Christ and shall render account therof vnto the Lord whereupon Chrisostome touching both those sorts in the 41 Homely shewing how the Lord woulde haue some to be teachers and other some to be disciples sayth thus For vnto those which he would haue to be teachers he speaketh thus by his Prophet Esay Ye priestes speak in the harts of the people for if the priestes do not manifest all the truth vnto the people they shall reÌ„der accouÌ„t therof at the day of iudgemeÌ„t And likewise if the people do not learne the truth they shal also geue an account at the day of iudgemeÌ„t It is also made more euideÌ„t by him vpoÌ„ the tenth of Mathew Do not feare them which kill the body least that through the feare of death you do not frely speak that which you haue heard neither boldly preach that vnto all meÌ„ which you alone haue heard in your eares So that hereby alone it is euideÌ„t that not onely he is a betrayer of the truth which transgressing the truth doth openly speak lyes in the stead of truth But he also which doth not freely pronounce or doth not freely defend the truth which he ought boldly to defeÌ„d is also a traytor vnto the truth For like as the Priest is a debter to preach the truth which he hath heard of the Lord eueÌ„ so the lay man is bound to defend the truth which he hath heard of the minister approued by the scriptures which if he do not then is he a traytor vnto the truth For stedfast beliefe with the hart preuayleth vnto righteousnes the confession which is made with the mouth helpeth vnto saluation Thus much writeth Chrisostome Who together with the people meekely bearing the excommunication of the Bishops freely preached truth and the people heard him and so by hys word and his workes he freely taught the truth least he should be a Traytor vnto the truth consequently be counted as a Traytour vnto our Lord Iesu Christ in the day of iudgement And thus the third part of the Article aforesayde is manifest ¶ The defension of the xv Article of Iohn Wickliffe by Iohn Husse IT is lawfull for any Deacon or Priest to preach the worde of God without the authority of the Apostolicke Sea or of his Catholickes Fir I vnderstand here by the authority of the Apostolicke Sea properly his speciall consent authorising And likewise I vnderstand by authority of the Bishop a speciall consent of the Bishop authorising the sayde Deacon or Priest to preach Now as touching the truth of this Article I thus argue like as after matrimony once complete the man and wife may lawfully without any speciall liceÌ„ce of the Pope or Bishop procreate carnall children So likewise Deacons or Priestes by the motion of God through the Gospell of Iesu Christ may lawfully without any speciall licence either of the Pope or Bishoppe generate spirituall children Ergo this Article is true and the antecedent is thus proued For as it is an acceptable worke vnto God for man and wife without the speciall licence of the Pope or Bishop to generate carnall children so it is acceptable vnto him that Deacons or Priests by the motion of God through the Gospel of Iesu Christ should lawfully generate spirituall children without the speciall licence of the Pope or of any other Byshop Ergo the assumptio is true But if any man wil deny this similitude let him shew the diuersitye Yea seing it is worse not to receiue or to choake the seed of Gods word then the carnall seed So contrarywise is it better to receiue and sow abroad that seed of the word of God whereby children might be raysed vp vnto God then to receiue or geue such seede whereby carnall children may be gotten Whereupon our Sauiour in the 10. of Mathew sayth thus whosoeuer doth not receiue you neither heareth your wordes wype of the duste from your feete verelye I say vnto you that in the daye of iudgement it shal be more better vnto the Lande of Sodome and Gomer then to that City Also a Deacon or Priest being sturred by the spirite of Iesus Christ may preache the word of God without the speciall licence of the Pope or Bishop Ergo it is lawful for him so to do The consequent is thus manifest for so much as the spirite of God mooâ—ing the Deacon or Priest vnto the preaching of the Gospell is of greater force then anye prohibition of Pope or Bishop inuented by man Ergo according vnto the rule of the Apostles they ought infallibly to be obedieÌ„t vnto the spirit of Christ which doth so moue them therunto and rather to obey God then man Actes 5. Also by like reason as Heldad and Medad vpon whom the spirit of God did rest did lawfully prophecy without requiring any licence at Moyses handes as it is written Numery 11. by the same reason may the meeek minister of Christ vpon whom the spirite of God doth rest without the requiring any licence either of the Pope or Bishoppe may lawfully preache the worde of God vnto the people And would to God in this behalfe all Prelats had the spirite of Moyses for it is sayd Numeri 11. That when as
declared as it hath bene in times past the which also is done by a maruelous dispensation that through one onely thing both Gods loue iustice should be fulfilled For a while the power of miracles being taken away the holy church appereth the more abiect and forsaken and the reward of good men doth cease which reuerēced the same for the hope of heauēly riches not for any present signes And that the minds of euill men agaynst the same might that sooner be knowne which neglect to folow the inuisible thinges which the church doth promise whiles they be led with visible signes Forsomuch then as the humility of the faithfull is as it were destitute of the multitude and appering of signes by the terrible working of Gods secret dispensation wherby mercy is geuē vnto the good and iust wrath heaped vpō the euill For so much then it is truely said that before this Liuiathan shall playnely and manifestly come pouerty shall go before his face for before that time the riches of miracles shal be taken away from the faythfull Then shall that auncient enemy shew himselfe agaynst them by open wonders That as he is extolled through signes wonders so shall he the more manly be vanquished of the faythfull without any signes or miracles Also in his 16. booke vpon this word which the blessed man Iob sayde who shall reprehend his way before him or who shall cast in his teeth what he hath done whilest he did speake of the body of all euill he sodenly connected his speach vnto the head of all the wicked for he did see that toward the end of the world Sathan should enter into man whom the scripture calleth Antechrist he shal be extolled with such pride he shall rule with such power he shal be exalted with such signes wonders vnder the pretence of holmes that his doing can not be cōtrolled of mē for somuch as his signes tokens are ioined with power terror with a certain shew of holynes Wherfore he saith who shall controll his wayes before him what man is he that dare once rebuke or check him whose looke or countenaunce is he afeard of But notwithstanding not onely Enoc Elias the which are brought as ample for his exprobation but also all the elect do argue reproue his way whiles that they do contemne and by the force and power of their minde resist his malice But for somuch as this thing is not done by their owne power or strength but by Gods helpe and grace therfore is it very well sayd who shall argue or reproue his waies before him who but onely God By whose help the elect are ayded and made able to resist And a little after vpon the same booke of Iob Gregory saith in so much as holy men do withstād his iniquity It is not they thēselues which do so rebuke his wayes but it is he thorowe whose helpe they are strengthened Also in his second booke he sayth now the holy Church doth not regarde but despise the signes and miracles of the heretikes if they do any for so much as the Church doth sufficiently vnderstand that it is no kind of holynes for why the prose of holines is not to make signes or wōders but to loue euery man as him selfe to thinke truely of the very true God to thinke better of thy neighbor then of thy selfe for trew vertue holynes cōsisteth in loue and not in shewing of miracles This the veretie declareth saying hereby shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye loue one an other but he saith not that hereby mē shal know that ye are my disciples because ye worke miracles but contrary wise if ye loue one an other declaring plainly therby that it is not miracles but the mere charitie loue of God which maketh vs the seruants of God Wherefore the chiefe testimony of being Gods disciple is to haue the gift of brotherly loue This thorow out doth S. Gregory write and often times in other places he speaketh verye much of miracles howe that they shall cease amongst the iust and abound amongst the wicked Also Chrisostome in his lv Homily sayth thus it is a common an indifferent woorke betwene the ministers of God the ministers of the deuil to cast out deuils but to confesse the trueth and to worke righteousnes is the onely worke of the saints and holy men therefore whomsoeuer thou doest see casting out of deuils if he haue not the confessiō of the trueth in his mouth neyther righteousnes in his hands he is not a man of God but if thou doest see a man openly confessing declaring the truthe and doing iustice although he do not cast out no deuils yet he is the man of God And it followeth let vs know that like as at the cōming of Christ before him the Prophets and with him thapostles wrought miracles thorow the holy ghost for such as the thing is which is sturred such sent sauor wil proceede frō the same He writeth also vpon the beginning of Mathew The whole world did maruel wōder at three things that Christ rose againe after his deth that flesh ascendeth into heauē that he did conuert the whole world by his xi apostles There is iiii causes which wrought the same That is to say the contempt of riches or money The dispising of pomp and glory The seperation of thēselues from all worldly occupation and busines and the pacient suffering of tormentes Thus much writeth Chisostome also saint Isydore in his first booke and xxv cha De summo bono writeth thus like as in the apostles the maruelous effect power of works was much more cōmendable then the vertue of their signes euen so now in the Church is it much more better to liue wel thē to worke any signes or miracles And the cause why that the church of God doth not at this present worke miracles as it did in the time of the Apostles is this That it was necessary at that time that the worlde should beleue miracles and nowe at this present euery faithful beleuer ought to shine with good workes for to this end were signes miracles then outwardly wrought that their sayth thereby might be inwardly strengthned and stablished for what soeuer faithfull man he be that seketh to worke miracles he seeketh vaine glory to be praysed of mē for it is written miracles are signes and tokens vnto the infidels misbeleuers and not vnto the faythfull Thus muche wryteth Isidore Item Saint Augustine in his Booke of cōfession sayth thus there is no greater miracle amongst mē thē to loue our enemies By these wordes of these holy men a man may easely gather that both in our dayes and in the time to come the disciples of Antichrist both do shall more florish and shewe thēselues by strannge signes miracles thē the disciples of Christ according to
except he doe looke for the duetie of recompence by the law of conscience Item all temporall goods bestowed vppon the clergie by the lay people vnder condition as the goodes of the churche are the almes of them which geue it it is prooued thus for so much as all those goods are the goods of the poore as it appeareth by many sayings of holy men and by the lawes But they were not the goods of the pore after they were mere seculer goodes but onely by the meane of the woorke of mercie wherby they were bestowed vpon the pore Ergo they were pure almes The cōsequent dependeth vpō the definitiō of pure almes Item all things changed to the vse and power of an other either by ciuil exchange or Euangelical is changed But the church goods are so changed by one of these ministries But the Euangelical exchange is not to be fained because it is not done neyther by bying or selling or any other ciuill exchange Therefore there doth not remaine but only a pure gift for hope of a heauenly reward the which is mercy and so pure almes And it semeth to followe consequently that all the Clergie receiuing such almes are not onely in respect of God as all other menne But in respect of men beggers For they wold not so instantly require those almes except they had neede of them neither ought we to be ashamed therof or to be proud beggers for so much as Christ touching his humanitie became a begger for vs because hee declared his need vnto his Father saying c. Item when any Kyng Prince Knight Citizen or anye other man doth geue vnto the clergy or to anye priest for his stipend he geueth the same vnto the Churche of God and to the priuate party as a perpetuall almes that he should attend to his vocation preaching praying and studying But this kinde of geuing doth not suffice to ground any seculer dominion amongst the clergye it followeth that the bare vse remayneth in them or the seculer vse without any seculer power The maior appeareth hereby forsomuch as otherwise almes should not be a worke of mercy Whereby it may also appeare that tenths are pure alms geuen to the church to the vse of the pore And hereupon the holy men doe say that tenthes are the tributes of the needy soules Whereupon S. Augustine in a sermon made vpon the restoring of tithes sayth The geuing of Tithes most deare brethren are the tributes of the poore soules therefore pay your tribute vnto the poore And by and by after he sayth therefore who desireth eyther to get any rewarde or to haue anye remission of sinnes by geuing of his tenthes let him study to geue almes euen of the ninth part so that what soeuer shall remayne more then a competent liuing and decent clothing that it be not reserued for riot but that it be layd vp in the heauenly treasure by geuing it in almes to the poore For what so euer God doth geue vnto vs more then we haue neede of he doth not geue it vs specially for our selues but doth send it vs to be bestowed vpon others by our handes if wee doe not geue it we inuade an other mans possessions Thus much wryteth S. Augustine and is repeted in the xvi question 1. Decime Also S. Ierome in an Epistle and it is put in the 16. question and 2. chap Quicquid What soeuer the clergy hath it is the goods of the poore Also S. Augustine in his 33. Epistle vnto Boniface and it is aleaged in the 1. question and 12. Also in the 23. question 7. If we doe possesse any thinge priuately the which doth suffise vs they are not oures but the goods of the poore whose stewardes we are except we doe challenge to ourselues a property by some damnable vsurpatiō The glose vpon that part of the 23. question 7. sayth The Prelates are but onely the stewardes of the church goodes and not Lordes thereof S. Ambrose also vpon this saying of the Gospell Luke the 16. Geue accompt of your bailiship or stewardship Hereby then doe we learne that they are not Lordes but rather stewardes and baliffes of other mens substaunce And S. Ierome writing to Nepotianus saieth howe can they be of the clergye which are commaunded to contemne and dispise their owne substaunce and to take away from a frend it is theft to deceiue the Churche it is sacriledge and to take awaye that which should be geuen vnto the poore ¶ The order and maner of taking vp the body of Iohn Wickliffe and burning his bones 41. yeares after his death And S. Bernard in his sermon vppon these wordes Symon Peter sayd vnto Iesus chap. 17 sayd Truely the goodes of the Church are the patrimony of the poore And whatsoeuer thyng the ministers and stewardes of the same not Lordes or possessours do take vnto themselues more then sufficient for a competent liuing the same is taken away from the poore by a sacrilegious crueltie And Eusebius in his treatise vpon the pilgrimage of S. Ierom writeth thus if thou doest possesse a garment or anye other thing more then extreme necessitie doth require and dost not help the needy thou art a theef a robber Wherfore dearly beloued children let vs be stewards of our temporallities and not possessors And Isidore in his treatise De summo Bono chap. 42. sayth Let the byshop know that he is the seruaunt of the people and not Lord ouer them Also in the 5. booke of decretals extra de donationibus sub authoritate Alexandri tertij Episcopi paristensis He sayth we beleue that it is not vnknowne vnto your brotherhoode that a Byshop and euery other Prelate is but a steward of the Churche goodes and not Lord thereof By these sayinges of these holy men it is euidently declared that not only tithes but also al other substaunce which the clergy hath by gift of worke of mercy are pure almes which after the necessitie of the clergy once satisfied ought to be transported vnto the poore Secondly it is declared how that the Clergye are not Lordes and possessours of those goods but ministers stewardes therof Thirdly it is shewed that if the Clergye doe abuse the same they are theeues robbers and sacrilegious persons and except they doe repent by the iust iudgement of God they are to be condempned ANd thus hetherto I may peraduenture seeme to haue made sufficient long resitall out of Ihon Dus but so notwithstanding that the commoditie of those thinges maye aboundantly recompence the prolixitie thereof Wherfore if I shall seeme vnto any man in the rehearsall of this disputation to haue passed very farre the boundes of the history let him thinke thus of me that at what tyme I tooke in hand to wryte of these Ecclesiasticall matters I could not omit these thinges whiche were so straightly ioyned with the cause of the Church Neither that I did make more accompt of the historye which I
had taken in hand then of the common vtilitie whereunto I had chiefe respect There were besides these certayne other articles Whereupon the sayde Iohn Dus had very wisely and learnedly disputed but these shal suffice vs for this present And for the residue we will passe them ouer to the intent we may the more spedely retourne whereas our story left declaring what cruelty they vsed not onely against the bookes and articles of Iohn Wickliffe but also in burning his body and bones commaunding them to be taken vp 41. yeares after he was buryed as appeareth by the decree of the sayde Synode the forme wherof we thought hereunto to annexe as followeth The decree of the Synode of Constance touching the taking vp of the body and bones of Iohn Wickliffe to be burned 41. yeares after he was buryed in his owne parish at Lutterworth FOrsomuch as by the authoritie of the sentence decree of the Councell of Rome and by the cōmaundement of the Church and the Apostolical see after due delayes being geuen they proceeded vnto the condemnatiō of the said I. Wickliffe and his memory hauing first made proclamation geuen cōmaundement to cal forth whosoeuer would defend the said Wickliffe or his memory if there were any such but there did none appeare which would either defēd him or his memory And moreouer witnesses being examined by Commissioners appoynted by Pope Iohn thys Councell vpon the impenitencie and finall obstinacie and stubburnes of the said Iohn Wickliffe reseruing that which is to be reserued as in such busines the order of the lawe requireth and his impenitencie and obstinacy euen vnto his end being sufficiently proued by euident signes and tokens and also by lawfull witnesses of credite was lawfully geuen thereunto Wherefore at the instaunce of the steward of the treasury proclamation being made to heare vnderstand the sentence agaynst this day the sacred Synode declareth determineth and geueth sentence that the said Iohn Wickliffe was a notorious obstinate hereticke and that he died in his heresie cursing and condemning both him and his memory This Sinode also decreeth and ordeineth that the body bones of the said Iohn Wickliffe if it might be decerned and knowne from the bodyes of other faithfull people to be taken out of the ground throwne away farre from the buriall of any church according vnto the canon lawes decrees Which determination and sentēce definitiue being red pronounced the lord president the foresaid presidentes of the 4. nations being demaunded asked whether it did please them or no They all answered and first Hostiensis the president and after him the other presidents of the nations that it pleased them very well and so they alowed and confirmed all the premisses c. ¶ What Heraclitus would not laugh or what Democritus would not weep to see these so sage reuerend Catos to occupy their heads to take vp a poore mans body so long dead and buryed before by the space of 41. yeares yet peraduenture were not able to finde his right bones but took vp some other body so of a catholick made an heretike Albeit herein Wickliffe had some cause to geue them thankes that they woulde at least spare him so long till he was dead and also to geue him so long respite after hys death 41. yeares to rest in his sepulchre before they vngraued him and turned him from earth to ashes which ashes also they took threw into the riuer And so was he resolued into 3. elements earth fire and water thinking therby vtterly to extinct and abolishe both the name and doctrine of Wickliffe for euer Not much vnlike to the example of the old Phariseis sepulcher knightes which when they had brought the Lord vnto the graue thought to make him sure neuer to rise againe But these and all other must knowe that as there is no coūsaile against the Lord so there is no keeping down of veritie but it wil spring and come out of dust and ashes as appeared right well in this man For though they digged vp his body burnt his bones drowned his ashes yet the word of God and truth of his doctrine with the fruit successe therof they could not burne which yet to this day for the most part of his articles do remaine Notwithstāding the transitory body and bones of the man was thus consumed and dispersed as by this picture here aboue set forth to thine eyes gentle reader may appeare These things thus finished and accomplished whiche pertayne to the story and time of Wickliffe let vs now by the supportation of the Lord proceede to entreate write of the rest which either in his time or after his time springing out of the same vniuersitie and raysed vp as ye wold say out of his ashes were pertakers of the same persecution Of whom speaketh Thomas Walden in his book De sacramentis sacramentalibus cap. 53. Where he saith that after Wickliffe many suffered most cruell death and many mo did forsake the realme In the number of whome was William Swinderby Walter Brute Iohn Puruey Richard White William Thorpe Raynold Pecock B. of S. Assaph and afterward of Chichester To this Catalogue also pertayneth mentioned in ancient writers Laurence Redman maister of Arte Dauid Sautre deuine Iohn Aschwarby vicar as they call him of S. Mary Church at Oxford William Iames an excellent yong man well learned Thomas Brightwell William Haulam a ciuilian Rafe Grenhurst Ioh. Scut and Phillip Norice which being excōmunicated by P. Eugenius the 4. in the yeare of our Lord 1446. appealed vnto a generall or oecumenicall Councell Peter Payne who flying from Oxford into Boheme did stoutly contend agaynst the Sophisters as touchyng both kindes of the sacrament of the last supper Who afterward among the rest of the Oratours was one of the 14. that was sent into the Councell at Basill whereas by the space of 3. daies he disputed vpon the 4. article which was as touching the ciuill dominion of the clergy an 1438. Also the Lorde Cobham c. with diuers others besides whose names are mencioned in the kinges writte sent to the Sheriffe of Northampton which writ of the king followith in this Teuor Rex vicecomiti Northamptoniae salutem c. For so much as Iohn Attyate of Cheping warden Iohn Warryner Ro. Brewoode c. be Recettours fautoures of heretickes and especially of one Iohn Woodward priest publiquely diffamed and condemned of heresy will not be iustified by the censures of the Churche as the reuerend father I. Bish. of Lincolne hath certified vs. we therefore willing to withstand all defenders and fautours of such heresies doe will and commaunde as well the forenamed as namely the foresaid Iohn Woodward to be apprehended straightly charging the same to be emprisoned by theyr bodyes or otherwise punished as shall seeme good to the Iustices vntill they and euery of them shall submit them selues to the
both of great payne to fall vpon theÌ„ for so we read that Iesus cast out buiers and sellers out of hys temple Also Peter sayd vnto Symon the first author of this heresy Thy mony sayd he with thee be destroyed for that thou hast thought the gift of God to be possessed for mony Moreouer whereas Christ sayth frely you haue receiued frely geue and whereas contrary the Pope doth sell that thing which he hath taken what doubt is there but that he doth greuously deserue to be punished both he that selleth he that buyeth for the crime of simonye which they commit Ouer and besides by many reasons and authorities of the Scripture it may be proued that he doth not absolue a man contrite for his sinne although he doe absolue him from the guilt But this marueileth me that he in his indulgeÌ„ces promiseth to absolue men from all maner of deadly sinnes yet cannot absolue a man from debt forasmuch as the debt which we owe to god is of much more greater importaÌ„ce then is the debt of our brother Wherfore if he be able to remitte the debt due to God much more it should seme that he is able to forgeue the debt of our brother An other thing there is that I maruell at for that the pope sheweth himselfe more strait in absoluing a priest for not saying or negligently saying his mattens theÌ„ for traÌ„sgressing the commaundemeÌ„t of God considering that the transgression of the coÌ„maundement of God is much more greuous then the breach of mans commaundement For these and many other errours concurring and in this matter of the Popes absolutioÌ„s blessed be God honor be vnto him for the remission of our sinnes And let vs firmely beleue and know that he doth and wil absolue vs from our sinnes if we be sory froÌ„ the bottome of our harts that we haue offended him hauing a good purpose and will to offend him no more And let vs be bolde to resorte vnto good and discreet Priests who with wholesome discretion and sound counsell can instruct vs how to auoad the corruption of sinne hereafter And which because they are better then we may pray to God for vs whereby we may both obtayne more sooner the remission of our sinnes past and also may learne better how to auoyd the daunger of sinne to come Ex Registro Latino Episc. Hereford ¶ And thus much concerning the iudgement and doctrine of this Walter for Christian patience charity and mercy which as they be true and infallible notes and markes of true Christianity so the sayde Walter Brute making comparison herein betweene Christ and the Pope goeth about purposely to declare and manifest whereby all men may see what contrariety there is betweene the rule of Christes teaching and the proceedinges of the Pope betweene the examples and life of the one and the examples of the other Of which two as one is altogether geuen to peace so is the other on the contrary side as much disposed to wars murder and bloudshed as is easy to be sene who so looking not vpon the outward shewes and pretensed wordes of these Romishe Popes but aduising and considering the inward practises and secret works of them shall easely espye vnder their visour of peace what discord and debate they work Who bearing outwardly the meek hornes of the Lambe mentioned in the Apocalippes within doe beare the bowels of a Wolfe full of crueltye murder and bloudshed which if any doe thinke to be spoken of me contumeliously would God that man could proue as well the same to be spoken of me not truely But trueth it is I speake it sincerely without affection of blinde partiality according to the trueth of historyes both olde and new Thus vnder in Dei nomine Amen how vnmercifully doeth the Pope condemne his brother And while he pretendeth not to be lawfull for him to kill any man what thousandes hath he killed of men And likewise in this sentence preteÌ„ding in visceribus Iesu Christi as though he woulde be a mediatour to the magistrate for the party yet in deed will he be sure to excommunicate the Magistrate if he execute not the sentence geuen Who be true heretiques the Lord when he commeth shall iudge but geue them â—o be heretiques whom he condemneth for heretiques Yet what bowels of mercy is here where is nothing but burning faggoting drowning prisoning chayning famishing racking hanging tormenting threatning reuiling cursing and oppressing and no instructing nor yet indifferent hearing of theÌ„ what they can say The like cruelty also may in theyr warres appeare if we consider how Pope Vrbane 5. beside the racking and murdering of 7. or 8. Cardinals set vp Henry Spencer Bishoppe of Norwich to fight agaynst the French Pope Innocentius 4. was in warre himselfe agaynst the Apulians Likewise Alexander 4. his sucessour stirred vp the sonne of king Henry 3. to fight agaynst the sonne of Fredericke 2. Emperour for Apulia Boniface 8. moued Albertus which stood to be Emperour to driue Philip the freÌ„ch King out of his Realm Gregorius 9 excited Ludouike the French king 3. sundry times to mortall warre agaynst the Earle Raimundus and City of of Tholouse and Auinion where Lewes the sayd Frence king dyed Honorius 3. by strength of warre many wayes resisted Fredericke 2. and sent out 35. Gallyes agaynst the coastes of the Emperours dominions The same Pope also besieged Ferraria to passe ouer the warre at Ticinum with many other battayles and conflictes of Popes agaynst the Romanes Venetians and diuers other nations Innocentius 3. set vp Philip the French king to warre agaynst king Iohn What stirre Pope Gregorye the 7. otherwise named Hildebrand kept agaynst the Emperour Henricus 4. it is not vnknowne And who is able to recite all the warres battayles and fieldes fought by the stirring vp of the Pope These with many other like examples considered did cause this Walter Brute to write in this matter so as he did making yet thereof no vniuersall proposition but that Christian Magistrates in case of necessity might make resistaunce in defence of publique right Now he procedeth further to other matter of the Sacrament Touching the matter sayth he of the Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ diuers men haue diuers opinions as the learned do know As concerning my iudgemeÌ„t vpon the same I firmely beleue whatsoeuer the lord Christ Iesus taught implicitely or expresly to his Disciples and faythfull people to be beleued for he is as I beleue and know the true bread of God whiche descended from heauen and geueth life to the world Of which bread whosoeuer eateth shall liue for euer as it is in the 6. of S. Iohn declared Before the comming of christ in the flesh although men did liue in body yet in spirit they did not liue because all men were then vnder sinne whose soules therby were dead from the which death no man by law nor with
Sacramentally or memorially to be his body And this seemeth vnto me most nearest to agree to the meaning of Christ forasmuch as he said do this in the remembraunce of me Then for as much as in the supper it is manifest that Christ gaue vnto his Disciples the bread of his body which he brake to that intent to eat with theyr mouthes in which bread he gaue himselfe also vnto them as one in whō they should beleue as to be the food of the soule and by that fayth they should beleue him to be theyr sauior which tooke his body wherein also he would it to be manifest that he woulde redeeme them from death So was the bread eaten with the Disciples mouthes that he being the true breade of the soule might be in spirite receiued and eaten spiritually by theyr fayth which beleued in him The bread which in the disciples mouthes was chewed from the mouth passed to the stomacke For as Christ saith whatsoeuer cōmeth to the mouth goeth into the belly from thence into the priuy Mathew chap. 15. But that true and very bread of the soule was eaten of the spirite of the Disciples and by fayth entred theyr minds and abode in their intralles through loue And so the bread broken semeth vnto me to be really the meat of the body the bread which it was before but Sacramentally to be the body of Christ as Paule 1. Cor. 10. The breade which we breake is it not the participation of the body of the Lord So the bread which we breake is the participation of the Lordes body And it is manifest that the heauēly bread is not broken neither yet is subiect to such breaking Therfore Paul calleth the materiall bread which is broken the body of Christ which the faythfull are partakers of The breade therfore chaungeth not his essence but is bread really and is the body of Christ sacramentally Euen as Christ is the very vine abiding really and figuratiuely the vine So the temple of Ierusalem was really the materiall temple figuratiuely it was the body of Christ Because he sayde destroy you this temple and in three dayes I will repayre the same agayne And this spake he of the temple of his body whereas others vnderstood it to be the materiall temple as appeared by theyr answere For sayd they 47. yeres hath this temple bene in building and wilt thou build it vp in three dayes Euen so may the consecrated bread be really bread as it was before and yet figuratiuely the body of Christ. And if therfore Christ would this bread to be only sacramentally his body and would not haue the same bread really to be transubstantiated into his body so ordeined his Priestes to make this Sacrament as a memoriall of his passion Thē do the Priestes greuously offend which besech Christ in their holy Masse that the bread which lyeth vpon the aultar may be made really the body of Christ if he woulde not haue the same to be but a Sacrament of his body And then both be they greatly deceiued themselues and also do greatly deceiue others But whether the bread be really transubstantiated into the body of Christ or is onely the body of Christ sacramentally No doubt but that the people are maruellously deceiued For the people beleue that they see the body of Christ nay rather Christ himselfe betwene the handes of the Priestes for so is the common othe they sweare By him whō I saw this day betwene the priestes hands And the people beleue that they eat not the body of Christ but at Easter or els when they lie vpon theyr death bed and receiue with their bodely mouth the Sacrament of the body of Christ. But the body of Christ admitte the bread be transubstantiated really into the body is in the Sacrament indiuisibiliter that is not able to be deuided and so immensurabiliter that is not able to be measured Ergo inuisibiliter that is not able to be sene To beleue therfore that he may be sene corporally in the Sacrament is erroneous And forasmuch as the body of Christ is the souls food and not the food of the body in this world for that whosoeuer beleueth doth eat spiritually and really at any time when he so beleueth It is manifest that they doe greatlye erre which beleue that they eat not the body of Christ but when they eat with theyr teeth the Sacrament of the body of Christ. And although it should be to the great honor of priests that the bread really were chaūged into the body of christ by the vertue of the Sacramentall words pronounced yet if Christ would not haue it to be so then they desiring to do this contrary to the will of Christ and informing the people that is to be done so contrary to the will of Christ are in great peril most daūgerously seducing both themselues and the people And then although that hereby they get a litle worldly and transitory honour for a short time It is to be feared least perpetual shame finally shall follow and insue vpon the same For Christ sayth euery one that exalteth himselfe shall be brought low Let them therfore take heed least they extolling themselues for this Sacrament aboue the company of Angels which neuer sinned for the errour which they be in for euermore be placed with the sinnefull angels vnder the earth Let euery man therfore think lowly of himself in what state or degree soeuer he be neither let him presume to doe that which he is not able to do Neither desire to haue that thing done which God would not haue done I greatlye maruell at those which were the makers of the Canons how variably contrary one to another they write of this Sacrament of the body of Christ. In the last part of the decrees where this matter is touched not only in the text but also in the proces of the matter diuers do diuersly write and one contrary to another For in the chapter that thus beginneth Prima inquit haeresis it is thus written You shall not eate this bodye which you see nor shall drinke this bloud which they shall shed which shall crucify me I will commend vnto you a certayne Sacrament spiritually vnderstood that quickneth you for the flesh profiteth you nothing at all And in the end of the same chapter it is thus written Till the world shall haue an end the Lords place is in heauen yet notwithstanding the verity of the Lord is here abiding with vs. For the body wherwith he rose ought to be in one place but his verity is in euerye place diffused spread abroad And in the chapter folowing which thus beginneth Omnia quaecunque voluit c. it is written Although the figure of the bread wine seeme to be nothing yet notwithstanding they must after y◠wordes of consecration be beleued to be none other thing then the very
that looke for him to their saluation For the lawe hauing a shadowe of good thinges to come can neuer by the Image it selfe of thinges which euery yeare without ceasing they offer by such sacrifices make those perfect that come therunto for otherwise that offering should haue ceased Because that such worshippers being once cleansed from theyr sinnes should haue no more conscience of sinne But in these commemoratioÌ„ is made euery yere of sinne for it is impossible that by the bloud of Goates and Calues sinnes should be purged and taken away Therfore comming into the world he sayd Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not haue but a body hast thou geuen me peace offeringes for sinne haue not pleased thee Then sayd I behold I come In the volume of the booke it is written of me that I should doe thy will O God Saying as aboue because thou wouldest haue no sacrifices nor burnt offeringes for sinne neyther doest thou take pleasure in those things that are offered according to the law Then sayd I behold I come that I may doe thy will O God He taketh away the first to stablishe that which followeth In which will we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Iesus Christ once for all And euery priest is ready dayly ministring and oftentimes affering like sacrifices which can neuer take away sinnes But this Iesus offering one sacrifice for sinne sitteth for euermore on the right hand of God expecting the time tyll his enemies be made his footstoole For by his owne onely oblation hath he consummated for euermore those that are sanctified All these places haue I recited which Paule writeth for the better vnderstanding and declaration of those thinges I meane to speak By all which it appeareth manifestly how the Priesthood of Christ differeth from the legall priesthood of Aaron and by the same also appeareth how the same differeth from all other priesthood Christian that immitateth Christ. For the properties of the priesthood of Christ aboue recited are founde in no other Priest but in Christ alone Of the third priesthood that is the Christian priesthood Christ by expresse wordes speaketh but litle to make any difference betwene the priests and the rest of the people neither yet doth vse this name of Sacerdos or praesbiter in the Gospell But some he calleth disciples some apostels whom he sent to baptise to preach in his name to do miracles He calleth them the salt of the earth in which the name of wisedome is ment and he calleth them the light of the world by which good liuing is signified For he sayth So let your light so shine before meÌ„ that they may see your good workes and glorify your father which is in heauen And Paule speaking of the Priestes to Timothe and Titus seemeth not to mee to make any diuersity betwixt the Priestes and the other people but in that he woulde haue them to surmount other in knowledge and perfection of life But the fourth priesthood is the Romaine priesthood brought in by the Church of Rome which Churche maketh a distinction betwene the clergy and the lay people after that the clergy is deuided into sundry degrees as appeareth in the decretals This distinction of the clergy from the laitye with the consure of clerkes began in the time of * Anacletus as it doth appeare in the Chronicles The degrees of the clergy were afterward inuedted distincted by their offices and there was no ascentioÌ„ to the degree of the priesthood but by inferior orders and degrees But in the primitiue churche it was not so for immediately after tht conuersion of some of theÌ„ to the fayth baptisme receiued they were priests bishops made as appeareth by Ananias whom Marcus made of a taylor or shomaker to be a bishop And of many others it was in like case done according to the traditions of the church of Rome Priests are ordeined to offer sacrifices to make supplication and prayers and to blesse sanctify The oblation of the priesthood onely to Priestes as they say is congruent whose duties are vpon the aultar to offer for the sinnes of the people the Lords body which is coÌ„secrated of bread Of which saying I haue great maruell considering S. Paule his wordes to the Hebrues before recited If Christ offering for our sinnes one oblation for euermore sitteth on the right hand of God and wyth that one oblation hath coÌ„suÌ„mated for euermore those that are sanctified If Christ euermore sitteth on the right hand of God to make intercession for vs what neede he to leaue here any sacrifice for our sinnes of the Priestes to be dayly offered I do not finde in the scriptures of God nor of his Apostles that the body of Christ ought to be made a sacrifice for sinne but onely as a Sacrament and commemoration of the sacrifice passed whiche Christ offered vpon the aultar of the crosse for our sinnes For it is an absurditye to say that Christ is now euery day really offered as a sacrifice vpon the aultar by the Priestes for then the Priestes should really crucify him vpoÌ„ the aultar which is a thing of no Christian to be beleeued But euen as in his supper his body his bloud he deliuered to his Disciples in memorial of his body that should be crucified on the morrow for our sinnes So after his asceÌ„tion did his Apostles vse the same when they brake bread in euery house for a SacrameÌ„t and not for a sacrifice of the body and bloud of our Lord Iesus Christ. And by this meanes were they put in remembraunce of the great loue of Christ who so entirelye loued vs that willinglye he suffered the death for vs for the remission of our sinnes And thus did they offer theÌ„selues to God by loue being ready to suffer death for the confession of his name and for the sauing health of theyr brethren fulfilling the new commaundement of Christ which sayd vnto them A new coÌ„mauÌ„dement do I geue vnto you that you loue one another as I haue loued you But wheÌ„ loue began to waxe cold or rather to be frosen for cold thorow the anguish anxiety of persecution for the name of Christ then Priests did vse the flesh and bloud of Christ in â—â—tad of a sacrifice And because many of them feared death some of them fled into solitarye places not daring to geue themselues a sacrifice by death vnto God through the confession of his name sauing health of theyr brethreÌ„ Some other worshipped Idols fearing death as did also the chiefe Bishop of Rome and many other mo in diuers places of the world And thus it came to passe as that which was ordeined and instituted for a memoriall of the one onely sacrifice was altered for want of loue into the realitye of the sacrifice it selfe ¶ After these thinges thus discussed he inferreth consequently vpon the same an other briefe tractation of women
body need to be afrayde though death did folow by one wise or other for to dye out of this world without taking of any Sacrament of these foresayd Christes enemyes since Christ will not fayle for to minister himselfe all Iefull healfull Sacramentes and necessary at all time and specially at end to all them that are in true fayth in stedfast hope and in perfect charity But yet some mad fooles say for to eschew slaunder they wil be shriuen once in the yeare and communed of theyr proper Priestes though they knowe them defouled with slaunderous vyces No doubt but all they that thus do or consent priuely or apertly to such doing are culpable of great sinne since S. Paul witnesseth that not onely they that do euill are worthy of death and damnation but also they that consent to euill doers Also as their slaūderous workes witnesse these aforesayd vicious Priestes despise and cast from them heauenly cunning that is geuen of the holye ghost Wherefore the Lord throweth all such despisers from him that they vse nor do any Priesthood to him No doubt than all they that wittingly or wilfully take or cōsent that any other body should take any Sacrament of any suche named Priest sinneth openly and damnably agaynst all the Trinity and are vnable to any Sacrament of health And that this foresayd sentēce is altogether true into remission of all my sinnefull liuing trusting stedfastly in the mercye of God I offer to him my soule And to proue also the foresayde sentence true with the helpe of God I purposefully for to suffer meekely and gladly my most wretched bodye to bee tormented where God will of whom he will and when he will and as long as he will and what temporall payne he will and death to the praysing of his name and to the edification of his Church And I that am most vnworthy and wretched caytife shall now through the speciall grace of God make to him pleasaunt sacrifice with my most sinnefull and vnworthy body Beseechyng hartely all folke that read or heare this end of my purposed Testament that through the grace of GOD they dispose verely and vertuously all their wittes and able in lyke maner all their members for to vnderstand truely and to keepe faythfully charitably and continually all the commaundementes of God and so than to pray deuoutly to all the blessed Trinitie that I may haue grace with wisedome and prudence from aboue to end my lyfe here in this foresayd truth and for this cause in true fayth and stedfast hope and perfect charitie Amen What was the ende of this good man and blessed seruant of God Williā Thorpe I finde as yet in no story specified By all coniectures it is to be thought that the archbishop Thomas Arundull being so hard an aduersarye agaynst those men would not let him goe Much lesse it is to be supposed that he would euer retract his sentence and opinion which he so valiantly mayntayned before the byshop neither doth it seeme that he had any such recanting spirite Agayne neyther is it founde that he was burned Wherfore it remayneth most like to be true that he beyng committed to some straight prison according as the Archbyshop in his examination before dyd threaten him there as Thorpe confesseth himselfe was so straightly kept that eyther he was secretly made away or els there he dyed by sicknesse The like end also I finde to happen to Iohn Aston an other good folower of Wickliffe who for the same doctrine of the sacrament was condemned by the Bishops And because he would not recant he was committed to perpetuall prison wherein the good man continued till his death An. 1382. ¶ Iohn Puruey FUrthermore in the sayd examinatiō of Williā Thorpe mention was made as ye heard of Iohn Puruey of whom also something we touched before promising of the sayd Iohn Puruey more particularly to entreate in order and processe of time Of this Puruey Tho. Walden writeth thus in his second tome Iohn Puruey sayth he was the Library of Lollordes and gloser vpon Wickliffe He sayde that the worshipping of Abrahā was but a salutatiō And in his third Tome he sayth this Iohn Puruey with Harford a doctour of diuinity were greuously tormented and punished in the prison of Saltwood and at the length recanted at Paules crosse at London Tho. Arundel being then Archb. of Canterbury Afterward agayne he was emprisoned vnder Henry Chicheley Archb. of Canterbury in the yeare of our Lord 1421. Thus muche writeth Walden The workes of this man which he wrote were gathered by Richard Lauingame his aduersarye whiche I thinke worthy to be remēbred First as touching the Sacrament of the last supper the Sacrament of penaunce the Sacrament of orders the power of the keyes the preaching of the Gospell of Mariages of Uowes of possessiōs of the punishing and correcting of the Clergy of the lawes and decrees of the Church of the state and condition of the Pope and the clergy Of all these generally he left diuers monuments grauely and exactly written part whereof here in the end of his story we thought to exhibite being translated out of Latine into English The articles which he taught and afterward was forced to recant at Paules crosse were these hereafter folowing 1. That in the Sacrament of the aultar after the consecration there is not neither can be any accident without the subiect But there verely remaineth the same substaūce and the very visible and incorruptible bread likewise the very same wine the which before the consecration were set vpon the aultar to be consecrate of the Priest likewise as when a Pagan or infidell is baptised he is spiritually conuerted into a member of Christ through grace and yet remayneth the very same man whiche he before was in his proper nature and substaunce 2. Auricular confession or priuate penaunce is a certeyne whispering destroying the libertye of the Gospell newly brought in by the Pope and the Clergye to intangle the consciences of mē in sinne to draw their soules into hel 3. Euery lay man being holy and predestinate vnto euer lasting life albeit he be a lay man yet is he a true Priest before God 4. That diuers Prelates and other of the Clergy do liue wickedly contrary to the doctrine and example of Christ his Apostles Therefore they whiche so liue haue not the keyes neyther of the kingdome of heauen neither yet of hell neither ought any christian to esteme his cēsure any more then as a thing of no force Yea albeit the pope should peraduenture interdite the realme yet could he not hurt but rather profite vs for so much as thereby we should be dismissed from the obseruation of his lawes and from saying of seruice according to the custome of the Church 5. If any man do make an othe or vow to keepe perpetuall chastity or do any thing els whereunto God hath not appoynted him geuing him
of sinnes the vprising of the flesh and euerlasting life Amen And for a more large declaration sayth he of thys my sayth in the Catholicke Churche I stedfastly beleue that there is but one God almighty in and of whose Godhead are these three persons the father the sonne and the holye Ghost and that those three persons are the selfe same God almighty I beleue also that the second person of this most blessed Trinitie in most conuenient tune appoynted therunto afore tooke flesh and bloud of the most blessed virgin Mary for the sauegarde and redemption of the vniuersall kind of man which was afore lost in Adams offence Moreouer I beleeue that the same Iesus Christ our Lord thus being both God and man is the onely head of the whole Christian Churche and that all those that hathe bene or shal be saued be members of this most holy church And this holy Churche I thinke to be deuided into three sortes or companyes Wherof the first sort be now in heauen and they are the sayntes from hence departed These as they were here coÌ„uersant conformed alwayes their liues to the most holye lawes and pure examples of Christ renouncing Sathan the world and the flesh with all their concupiscences and euils The second sort are in Purgatory if any suche place be in the scriptures abiding the mercy of God and a full deliueraunce of payne The third sort are here vpon the earth and be called the Church millitant For day and night they contend against crafty assaultes of the deuill the flattering prosperities of this world and the rebellious filthines of the flesh This latter congregation by the iust ordinance of God is also seuered into three diuers estates that is to say into priesthood knighthood and the commons Among whom the will of God is that the one should ayd the other but not destroy the other The priestes first of al secluded from all worldlines should conforme theyr liues vtterly to the examples of Christ and his Apostles Euermore shoulde they be occupyed in preaching and teaching the scriptures purely and in geuing wholesome examples of good liuing to the other two degrees of men More modest also more louing gentle and lowly in spirite should they be then ano other sortes of people In knighthood are all they which beare sword by law of office These should defend Gods lawes and see that the Gospell were purely taught conforming theyr liues to that same and secluding all false preachers yea these ought rather to hazard their liues theÌ„ to suffer such wicked decrees as either blemisheth the eternall Testament of God or yet letteth the free passage therof whereby heresies schismes might spring in the Churche For of none other arise they as I suppose then of erroneous constitutioÌ„s craftely first creeping in vnder hipocriticall lies for aduauntage They ought also to preserue Gods people from oppressours tyrauntes and theeues to see the clergie supported so long as they teach purely pray rightly and minister the Sacramentes freely And if they see them doe otherwise they are bound by the law of office to compell them to chaung their doinges to see all thinges performed according to gods prescript ordinaunce The latter fellowship of this Church are the common people whose duery is to beare their good mindes true obedience to the aforesayd ministers of God theyr kinges ciuill gouernours and Priestes The right office of these is iustly to occupy euery man his facultie be it marchaundise handicraft or the tilthe of the ground And so one of them to be as an helper to an other following alwayes in their sortes the iust commaundementes of the Lord God Ouer and besidés all this I most faythfully beleeue the the Sacramentes of Christes Churche are necessary to all Christen beleuers this alwayes seen to that they be truly ministred according to Christes first institution and ordinaunce And forasmuch as I am maliciously most falsly accused of a misbeliefe in the sacrament of the aulter to the hurtfull slaunder of many I signifie here vnto all men that this is my fayth concerning that I beleue in that Sacrament to be contayned very Christes body and bloud vnder the similitudes of bread and wyne yea the same body that was conceiued of the holy ghost borne of that virgine Mary done on the crosse dyed that was buryed arose the thyrd day from the death and is now glorified in heauen I also beleue the vniuersall law of God to be most true and perfect and they which doe not so follow it in theyr fayth and works at one time or an other can neuer be saned Where as he that seketh it in fayth accepteth it learneth it delighteth therin and performeth it in loue shall cast for it the felicitie of euerlasting Innocencie Finally this is my fayth also that God will aske no more of a Christen beleuer in this life but onely to obey that preceptes of that most blessed law If any Prelates of the Church require more or els any other kinde of obedience then this to be vsed he contemneth Christ exalting hymselfe aboue God and so becommeth an open Antichrist Al the premisses I beleue particularly and generally all that God hath left in his holy scripture that I should beleeue Instantly desiring you my siege Lord and most worthye king that this confession of mine may be iustly examined by the most godly wise and learned men of your Realme And if it be found in all pointes agreeing to the veritie theÌ„ let it be so allowed and I therupon holden for none other then a true Christian. If it be proued otherwise then let it be vtterly coÌ„demned prouided alwayes that I be taught a better beliefe by the word of God and I shall most reuerently at all times obey therunto This briefe confession of this fayth the Lorde Cobham wrote as is mentioned afore and so tooke it with him to the court offering it withall meekenes vnto the kyng to read it ouer The king would in no case receaue it but coÌ„manded it to be deliuered vnto theÌ„ that should be his iudges Then desired he in the kinges presence that an hundred knightes and Esquiers might be suffered to come in vpon hys purgation which he knew woulde cleare hym of all heresies Moreouer he offered himselâ—e after the lawe of armes to fight for life or death in any man liuing Christen or heathen in the quarrell of hys fayth the king and the Lordes of hys Councell excepted Finally with all geÌ„tlenes he protested before all that were present that he wold refuse no maner of correction that shold after the lawes of God he ministred vnto him but that he would at al times with all meekenes obey it Notwithstanding all this the king suffered him to be sommoned personally in his owne priuy chamber Then sayd the Lord Cobham to the king that he had appeled from the
Archbishop to the Pope of Rome therefore he ought he sayd in no cause to be hys iudge And hauing his appeale there at hand ready writtē he shewed it with al reuerence to the king Wherewith the king was then much more displeased then afore and sayde angerly vnto him that he should not pursue hys appeale but rather he should tary in hold till suche time as it were of the Pope allowed And thē would he or nild he that archbishop should be his iudge Thus was there nothing allowed that the good Lord Cobham had lawfully afore required But for so much as he woulde not be sworne in all things to submit himselfe to the Church and so take what penaunce the archbishop would enioyne him He was arested agayne at the kinges commaundement and so ledde forth to the Tower of London to keepe hys day so was it then spoken that the archbishop had appoynted him afore in the kinges chamber Then caused he the foresayd confession of his fayth to be copyed agayne and the aunswere also which he had made to the foure articles proponed agaynst him to be written in maner of an Indenture in two sheetes of paper That when he should come to hys aunswere he might geue the one copy vnto the archbishop and reserue the other to him selfe As the day of examination was come which was the 23. day of September the Saterday before the feast of saint Mathewe Thomas Arundell the Archbishop sitting in Cayphas rowme in the Chapter house of Paules wyth Richard Clifford Byshop of London and Henry Bolnig broke Byshop of Winchester sir Robert Morley knight and Liefetenant of the Tower brought personally before hym the sayd Lord Cobham and there left him for the time vnto whom the archbishop sayd these wordes * The first examination of the Lorde Cobham SIr Iohn in the last generall conuocation of the clergie of this our Prouince ye were detected of certayne heresies and by sufficient witnesses found culpable Whereupon ye were by forme of spirituall law cited and woulde in no case appeare In conclusion vpon your rebellious cōtumacie ye were both priuately and openly excommunicated Notwithstanding we neyther yet shewed our selues vnready to haue geuen your absolution nor yet doe not to this houre would ye haue meekely asked it Vnto this the Lord Cobham shewed as though he had geuen no eare hauing hys minde otherwise occupyed and so desired no absolution But sayd he would gladly before him and hys brethren make rehearsal of that fayth which he held and en tended alwayes to stand to if it woulde please them to licence him thereunto And then he tooke out of his vosome a certayn writing endented concerning the articles wherof he was accused and so opēly read it before them geuing it vnto the Archbishop as he had made thereof an ende Whereof this is the copy I IOhn Didcastle Knight Lord of Cobham will that all Christen men weet and vnderstād that I clepe almighty God into witnesse that it hath bene nowe is and euer with the helpe of God shall be mine entent and my will to beleue faythfully and fully all the sacramentes that euer God ordayned to be do in holy Church and moreouer to declare me in these foure poynts I beleue that the most worshipfull Sacrament of the aulter is Christes body in forme of bread the same body that was borne of the blessed virgin our Lady sayne Mary done on the crosse dead and buryed the thyrd day rose from death to life the which body is now glorified in heauen Also as for the sacrament of penaunce I beleue that it is needefull to euery man that shal be saued to forsake sinne and do due penaunce for sinne before done with true confession very contrition and due satisfaction as Gods lawe limitteth and teacheth and els may he not be saued which penaunce I desire all men to doe And as of Images I vnderstand that they be not of beleue but that they were ordayned sith the beleue was zewe of Christ by sufferaunce of the Church to be Calenders to lewd men to represent and bryng to minde the passion of our Lord Iohn Christ and martyrdome and good liuing of other sayntes And that who so it be that doth the worship to dead Images that is due to God or putteth suche hope or trust in helpe of them as he should doe to God or hath affection in one more then in an other he doth in that the greatest sinne of maumerry Also I suppose this fully that euery man in this earth is a pilgrime toward blisse or toward payne and that he that knoweth not ne will not know ne keepe the holy comaundementes of God in his liuing here albeit that he be go on Pilgrimages to all the world and he dye so he shal be damned and he that knoweth the holy commaundementes of God and keepeth them to hys ende he shal be saued though he neuer in hys lyfe goe on pilgrimage as men now vse to Caunterbury or to Rome or to any other place This aunswere to hys articles thus ended and read he deliuered it to the Bishops as is sayd afore Than counceled the Archbishop with the other two Bishops and with diuers of the Doctours what was to be done in this matter commaunding hym for the tyme to stand aside In cōclusion by their assent information he said thus vnto him Come hether Syr Iohn In this your wryting are many good thinges contayned and right Catholicke also we deny it not but ye must consider that thys day was appoynted you to aunswere to other pointes concerning those articles wherof as yet no mention is made in this your Bil. And therefore ye must yet declare vs your minde more playnly And thus whether that ye holde affirme and beleeue that in the sacrament of the aulter after the consecration rightly done by a priest remayneth materiall bread or not Moreouer whether ye do hold affirme and beleue that as concerning the sacrament of penaunce where as a competent nomber of priestes are euery Christen man is necessarely bound to be confessed of hys sinnes to a priest ordained by the Church or not After certayn other communication this was the answere of the good Lord Cobham That none otherwise would he declare his minde nor yet aunswere vnto hys articles then was expressely in his writing there contayned Then sayd the Archbishop agayne vnto hym Syr Iohn beware what ye do For if ye aunswere not clearely to those thinges that are here obiected agaynst you especially at the time appointed you onely for that purpose the law of holy Church is that compelled once by a iudge we may openly proclayme ye an hereticke Unto whome he gaue this aunswere Do as ye shall thinke best for I am at a poynt Whatsoeuer he or the other Byshops did aske him after that he had them resorte to hys Bill for thereby would he
to say as I shall cursse where you blesse The archbishop made then as though he had continued forth his tale and not hearde him saying Sir at that tyme I gently profered to haue assoyled you if ye woulde haue asked it And yet I doe the same if ye will humbly desire it in due forme and maner as holy church hath ordayned Then said the Lord Cobham May forsooth will I not for I neuer yet trespassed agaynst you and therefore I will not do it And with that he kneeled downe on the pauement holding vp his handes to wardes heauen and sayd I shriue me here vnto thee my eternall liuing God that in my frayle youth I offended thee Lord most greuously in pride wrath and gluttony in couetousnes and in lechery Many men haue I hurt in mine anger and done many other horrible sinnes good Lorde I aske thee mercye And therewith weepingly he stoode vp agayne and sayde with a mighty voyce Loe good people loe For the breaking of Gods law and his great commaundementes they neuer yet cursed me But for their owne lawes and traditions most cruelly doe they handle both me and other mē And therfore both they and theyr lawes by the promise of God shall vtterly be destroyed At this the archbishop and his companye were not a litle blemished Nothwithstanding he tooke stomack vnto him agayne after certayne words had in excuse of their tyranny and examined the Lord Cobham of his Christen beleue Whereunto the Lord Cobham made this godly aunswere I beleue sayth he fully and faithfully the vniuersall lawes of God I beleue that all is true whiche is conteyned in the holy sacred scriptures of the Bible Finally I beleue all that my Lord God would I shoulde beleue Then demaunded the Archbishop an answere of that Bill whiche he and the Clergie had sent him into the Tower the day afore in maner of a determination of the Churche concerning the foure Articles whereof he was accused specially for the Sacrament of the aulter howe he beleeued therein Whereunto the Lord Cobham sayd that with that bill he had nothing to doe But this was his beliefe he sayd concerning the sacrament That his Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ sitting at his last supper with his most deare disciples the night before he should suffer tooke bread in his hand And geuing thanks to his eternall father blessed it brake it and so gaue it vnto them saying Take it vnto you and eat therof all this is my body whiche shall be betrayed for you Doe this hereafter in my remembraunce This doe I throughly beleue sayth he for this sayth am I taught of the Gospell in Mathewe in Marke and in Luke and also in the first Epistle of S. Paule to the Corinthians chap. 11. Then asked the Archbishop if he beleeued that it were bread after the consecration or sacramentall words spoken ouer it The Lord Cobham said I beleue that in the sacramēt of the aulter is Christes very body in forme of bread the same that was borne of that virgin Mary done on the crosse dead and buryed and that the third day arose from death to life which now is glorified in heauen Then sayd one of the Doctors of the law After the sacramentall wordes be vttered there remayneth no bread but onely the body of Christ. The Lorde Cobham sayd then to one Maister Iohn whitehead You sayd once vnto me in the castell of Couling that the sacred host was not Christes body But I held then against you and proued that therin was his body though the seculars and Friers could not therein agree but held ech one against other in that opinion These wer my wordes then if ye remember it Then shouted a sorte of them together and cryed wyth great noyse We say all that it is Gods body And diuers of them asked him in great anger whether it were materiall bread after the consecration or not Then looked the L. Cobham earnestly vpon the archbishop and said I beleue surely that it is Christes body in forme of bread Syr beleue not you thus And the archbishop sayd yes mary do I Then asked him the Doctors whether it were onely Christes bodye after the consecration of a Priest and no body or not And he sayd vnto them it is both Christes body and bread I shall proue it as thus For like as Christ dwelling here vpon that earth had in him both Godhead manhood and had the inuisible Godhead couered vnder that manhode which was onely visible and seene in him So in the sacrament of the aultar is Christes very bodye and bread also as I beleue the bread is the thinge that we see wyth our eies the body of Christ which is his flesh his bloud is there vnder hyd and not seene but in fayth And moreouer to proue that it is both Christes bodie and also bread after the consecration it is by playne wordes expressed by one of your owne Doctours writing agayne Eutiches whiche faith Like as the selfe same Sacraments do passe by the operation of the holy Ghost into a Diuine nature and yet notwithstanding keepe the propertie still of their former nature so that principall mistery declareth to remayne one true and perfect Christ. c. Then smiled they eache one vpon other that the people shoulde iudge him taken in a great heresie And with a great brag diuers of them sayd It is a foule heresie Then asked the Archbishop what bread it was And the Doctors also inquired of him whether it were materiall or not The Lorde Cobham said vnto thē The scriptures maketh no mention of this worde materiall and therfore my faith hath nothing to doe therwith But this I say and beleue that it is Christes body and bread For Christ sayd in the vi of Iohns Gospell Ego sum panis viuus qui de coelo descendi I which came downe from heauen am the liuing and not the dead bread Therfore I say now agayne as I sayd afore as our Lord Iesus Christ is very God and very man so in the most blessed sacrament of the aulter is Christes very body and bread Then sayd they all with one voyce It is an heresie One of the Byshops stoode vp by and by and sayd What it is an heresie manifest to say that it is bread after the Sacramentall wordes be once spoken but Christes body onely The Lord Cobham sayd S. Paule the Apostle was I am sure as wise as you be now and more gladly learned And he called it bread writing to the Corinthians The bread that we breake sayth he is it not the partakyng of the body of Christ Lo he called it bread and not Christes body but a meane whereby we receaue Christs body Then sayd they agayne Paule must be otherwise vnderstand For it is sure on heresie to say that it is bread after the consecration but onely Christes
13. chapter of the first to the Corinthians and to the Romaynes the 8. chapter All thinges turne to good to them whiche loue God Also I am certayne that neyther death nor life can seperate vs from the charitie and loue of God as it is more at large in the booke The fourth Article The predestinate although he be not in the state of grace according to present iustice yet is he alwayes a member of the vniuersall Churche Thys is an errour if it be vnderstand of all such as be predestinate for thus it is in the booke about the beginning of the fift chapter where it is declared that there be diuers maners and fortes of being in the Church for there are some in the Church according to a misshappen fayth and other some according to predestination as Christians predestinate now in sinne but shall returne agayne vnto grace The fift article There is no degree of honor or dignitie neyther any humain election or any sensible signe that can make any man a member of the vniuersall Church I aunswere this article is after this maner in my book And such subtilties are vnderstanded knowne by considering what it is to be in the Churche and what it is to be a part or member of the Church that predestination doth make a man a member of the vniuersall Church the whiche is a preparation of grace for the present and of glory to come not degree of dignitie neyther election of man neyther any sensible signe For the acuser Iudas Iscarioth notwtstanding Christes election the temporall graces which were geuen him for his office of Apostleship and that he was reputed and counted of men a true Apostle of Iesus Christ yet was he no true Disciple but a wolf couered in a sheps skinne as sainet Augustine sayth The vi Article A reprobate man is neuer no member of the holy Church I answere it is in my booke with sufficient long probation out of the 26. Psalme and out of the v. chapter to the Ephesians also by S. Barnarde saying the Church of Iesus Christ is more playnly and euidently his body then the body which he deliuered for vnto death I haue also written in the v. chap. of my booke that the holy church is the barne of the Lord in the whiche are bothe good and euill predestinate and reprobate the good being as the good corne or grayne and the ciuill as the chaffe thereunto is added the exposition of S. Augustine The seuenth article Iudas was neuer no true Disciple of Iesus Christ. I answere and I do confesse the same This appeareth by the fift article which is passed afore by S. Augustine in his booke of penaunce where he doth expound the meaning of S. Iohn in hys first Epistle and second chapter where he sayd They come out frō amōgst vs but they were none of vs. He knewe from the beginning all them whiche should beleeue and him also whiche should betray him and sayd And therefore I say vnto you that none commeth vnto me except it be geuen hym of my father From that tune many of the Disciples parted from him and were not those also called Disciples accordyng the wordes of the Gospell And yet notwithstanding they were no true Disciples because they did not remayne and continue in the word of the sonne of God according as it is said If you remayne in my word you be my Disciples For so much then as they did not continue with Christ as hys true Disciples so likewise are they not the true sonns of God although they seeme so vnto him they are not so vnto whom it is known what they shall be That is to say of good euill Thus much writeth S. Augustine It is also euident that Iudas could not be the true Disciple of Christ by meanes of hys couetousnesse for Christ himselfe sayd in the presence of Iudas as I suppose except a man forsake all that he hath he can not be my Disciple For somuch then as Iudas did not forsake all thinges according to the Lordes will and follow him he was a theefe as it is sayd Iohn the 12. and a deuill Iohn the 6. whereby it is euident by the worde of the Lord that Iudas was not hys true but sayned Disciple Whereupon S. Augustine writing vpon Iohn declaring how the sheepe heare the voice of Christ sayth what maner of hearers thinke we hys sheepe were Truely Iudas heard him and was a wolfe yet followed he the shepherd but being clothed in a sheeps skinne he lay in wayt for the shepheard The eight article The congregatiō of the predestinate whether they be in the state of grace or no according vnto present iustice is the holy vniuersall Church and therefore it is an article of fayth and it is the same Churche whiche hath neither wrinckle neyther spot in it but is holy vndefiled the which the sonne of God doth cal his own The answere The wordes of the booke out of the which thys Article was drawne are these Thirdly the Church is vnderstand and taken for the congregation and assembly of the faythfull whether they be in the state of grace according to present iustice or not And in this sort it is an Article of our fayth of the whiche S. Paule maketh mention in the fifth chapter to the Ephesians Christ so loued his Church that he deliuered and offered himself for the same c. I pray you then is there any faythful man the which doth doubt that the Church doth not signifie all the elect and predestinate the which we ought to beleue to be the vniuersall Church the glorious spouse of Iesus christ holy and without spot wherfore this Article is an article of fayth the whiche we ought firmely to beleue according to our Creede I beleue the holy Catholicke Church and of this Churche doth S. Augustine S. Gregory S. Ierome and diuers other make mention The ix article Peter neuer was neither is the head of the holy vniuersall Church The aunswere This Article was drawne out of these wordes of my booke All men do agree in this poynt that Peter had receiued of the rocke of the church which is Christ humilitie pouertie stedfastnes of fayth and consequently blessednes Not as though the meaning of our Lord Iesus Christ was when he said vpon this rocke I will build my Churche that he woulde build euery Militant Church vppon the person of Peter for Christ should buyld hys Church vpon the rocke which is Christ himselfe from whence Peter receiued hys steadfastnes of fayth for somuche as Iesus Christ is the onely head and foundation of euery Church and not Peter The tenth Article If he that is called the vicar of Iesus Christ do followe Christ in his life then he is his true vicare But if so be it he do walke in contrary pathes and wayes then is he the messenger of Antichrist the enemy
to haue had diuers prophetical reuelations shewed to him of God Certaine of which his letters and predictions I thought here vnderneath to insert in such sort as neither in reciting all I will ouercharge the volume too much nor yet in reciting of none I wil be so brief but that the reader may haue some taste and take some profit of the Christian wrytings and doings of this blessed man Firste beginning with the letter of the Lorde Clum concerning the safeconduct of Iohn Hus. A letter of the Lorde Iohn de Clum concerning the safeconduict of Iohn Hus. TO all and singulare that shall see and heare these presentes I Iohn de Clum doe it to vnderstande howe maister Iohn Hus Bacheler of diuinitie vnder the safeconduicte and protection of the renowned prince and Lorde Sigismund of Romaines semper Augustus and king of Hungarie c. My gracious Lorde and vnder the protection defence and safegarde of the holy Empire of Rome hauing the letters patent of the said my Lorde king of Romaines c. came vnto Constance to render a full counte of hys faith in publicke audience to al that would require the same This the saide M. Iohn Hus in this Imperiall Citie of Constance vnder the safeconduict of the said my Lord king of Romaines hath bene and yet is deteined And although the Pope with the Cardinalles haue bene seriously required by solemne Ambassadours of the sayd my Lord king of Romaines c. in the kings name behalfe that the said maister Iohn Hus should be set at libertye and be restored vnto me yet notwythstanding they haue and yet do refuse hitherto to set him at liberty to the great coÌ„tempt derogation of the safeconduct of the king of the safegard and protection of the Empire or Emperial maiestie Wherefore I Iohn aforesaide in the name of the king do here publish and make it known that the apprehending and deteining of the sayde M. Iohn Hus was done wholy against the wil of the fornamed king of Romains my Lord seeing it is done in the contempt of the safeconducte of hys subiects and of the protection of the Empire because that the sayde my Lord was then absent farre from Constance and if he had ben there present woulde neuer haue permitted the same And when hee shall come it is to be doubted of no man but that hee for this great iniury and contempt of this safeconducte done to him to the Empire wil greuously be molested for the same Geuen at CoÌ„stance in the day of the natiuitie of the Lord 1414. ¶ In this instrument aboue prefixed note gentle reader 3. things First the goodnes of this gentle Lord Iohn de Clum being so feruent and zelous in the cause of Iohn Husse or rather in the cause of Christ. Secondly the safeconduct graunted vnto the sayde I. Hus vnder the faith and protection of the Emperor and of the Empire Thirdly here is to be sene the contempt and rebellion of these proud prelates in disobeying the authority of their high Magistrate who contrary to his safeconduct geuen and the mind of the Emperor did arest and imprison this good man before the comming of the sayd Emperor before that Iohn Hus was heard Let vs nowe as we haue promised adioyne some of the epistles of this godly man An Epistle of Iohn Hus vnto the people of Prage in his owne vulgare speeche GRace and peace from our Lorde Iesus Christ that you being deliuered from sinne may walke in his grace and may growe in all modesty and vertue and after this may enioy eternall life Derely beloued I beseeche you which walke after the law of God that you cast not away the care of the saluatioÌ„ of your soules wheÌ„ as you hearing the word of God are premonished wisely to vnderstand that you be not deceiued by fals apostles which do not reprehend the sinnes of men but rather doe extenuate and diminish them which flatter the priests and doe not shewe to the people their offences which magnify themselues boast their own workes and maruelously extol their owne worthines but follow not Christ in his humility in pouerty in the crosse and other manifold afflictions Of whome our merciful sauiour did premonish vs before saying false Christes and fals Prophets shal rise and shall deceiue many And when he had forewarned his welbeloued disciples he said vnto them beware and take hede of false Prophets which come to you in shepes clothing but inwardly are rauening wolues ye shal know them by their fruits And truth it is that the faithful of Christ haue much neede diligently to beware and take hede vnto themselues For as our sauiour himselfe doth say the elect also if it were possible shal be brought into error Wherefore my welbeloued be circumspect and watchful that ye be not circumuented with the crafty trains of the deuil And the more circumspect ye ought to be for that antichrist laboureth the more to trouble you The last iudgement is nere at hande death shal swallow vp many but to the electe children of God the kingdome of God draweth nere because for them he gaue his own body Feare not death loue together one an other perseuere in vnderstanding the good wil of God without ceasing Let the terrible horrible day of iudgement be alwaies before your eies that you sinne not and also the ioy of eternal life wherunto you must endeuor Furthermore let the passion of our sauioure be neuer out of youre minds that you may bear with him for him gladly whatsoeuer shal be laid vpon you For if you shal consider well in your mindes his crosse afflictions nothing shal be greuous vnto you patiently you shal geue place to tribulations cursings rebukes stripes and prisonment and shal not dout to geue your liues moreouer for his holy truth if nede require Knowe ye welbeloued that antichrist being stirred vp against you deuiseth diuers persecutions And many he hath not hurte no not the least heire of their heads as by mine owne example I can testify although hee hathe ben vehemently incensed against me Wherefore I desire you all with your praiers to make intercessioÌ„ for me to the lord to geue me intelligence sufferance patâ—ence and constancie that I neuer swarue from his diuine verity He hath brought me now to Constance In all my iourney openly and manifestly I haue not feared to vtter my name as becommeth the seruant of God In no place I kept my selfe secrete nor vsed any dissimulation But neuer did I finde in any place more pestilent and manifest ennemies then at Constance Which enemies neither should I haue had there had it not ben for certain of our owne Bohemians hypocrites deceiuers who for benefits receiued and stirred vp with couetousnes with boasting and bragging haue perswaded the people that I weÌ„t about to seduce them out of the right way But I am in good hope that through the mercy of our God and
dyed of no naturall pang but of some violent hand Some suspected him to be strangled some that a whole spytt was priuily forced into his body some affirme that he was styfeled betweene to fether beds After the death of this Duke and hys body being enterred at S. Albons after he had politikely by the space of 25. yeares gouerned this realme 5. of his housholde to wit one knight 3. Esquiers and a Yeoman were arreigned conuict to be hanged drawn quartered Who being hanged and cut downe halfe aliue the Marques of Suffolke there present shewed the charter of the kinges pardon and so they were deliuered Notwithstanding all this could not appease the grudge of the people saying that the sauing of the seruauntes was no amends for the murdering of the mayster In this cruell facte of these persons which did so conspire and consent to the death of this noble man whiche thought thereby to worke their owne safety the meruailous work of gods iudgement appeareth herein to be noted who as in all other like cruell pollices of maÌ„ so in this also turned al theyr pollices clean contrary So that where yâ— Queene thought most to preserue her husband in honor and her selfe in state thereby both she lost her husband her husband lost his realm the realm lost Angeow NormaÌ„dy the Duchy of Aquitane with all her partes beyond that sea Calice only except as in sequele of the matter who so will read the storyes shall right well vnderstand The next yeare following it followed also that that Cardinall who was the principall artificer and ringleader of all this mischiefe was suffered of God no loÌ„ger to liue Of whose wicked conditions being more largely set foorth in Edward Halle I omitte here to speake What he himselfe spake in his deathbed for example to other I thought not best to pretermit Who hearing that he shuld dy that ther was no remedy murmured grudged wherfore he shuld dye hauing so much riches saying that if the whole realm would saue hys life he was able either by pollicy to get it or by riches to buy it adding saying moreouer fit quod he will not death be hyred nor will money doe nothing wheÌ„ my nephew of Bedford dyed I thought my selfe halfe vp the wheele but wheÌ„ I saw mine other nephew of Glocester deceassed then I thought my selfe able to be equal with kinges and so ought to encrease my treasure in hope to haue worne the triple crown t. Ex Edou Hallo And thus is the rich byshop of Winchester with all his pompe and riches gone with the which riches he was able not onely to build scholes colledges and Uniuersities but also was able to susteine the kinges armies in warre as is specified in storyes without any taxing of the commons In whose seate next succeeded William Wanflet preferred to the byshopricke of Winchester who though he had lesse substaunce yet hauing a minde more godly disposed did found and erecte the Colledge of Mary Magdalen in Oxford For the which foundation as there haue ben and be yet many studentes bound to yeld gratefull thanks vnto God so I must needes confesse my selfe to be one except I will be vnkinde Among that other mischieuous aduersaries which sought and wrought the death of Humfrey Duke of Gloucester next to the Cardinall of Winchester who as is sayd dyed that next yere following was William de la Pole Marques of Suffolk who also liued not long after nor long escaped vnpunished For although he was highly exalted by the meanes of the Queene whose maryage he onely procured vnto the fauour of the king was made Duke of Suffolke magnified of the people and bare the whole sway in the realme whose actes and facts his vayne glorious head caused also by the assent of the commons to be recorded substantially to be registred in the rolles of the Parliament for a perpetuall renowne to him and all his posteritie for euer yet notwtstanding the hand of Gods iudgement still hanging ouer hym he enioyed not long this his triuÌ„phant victory For within 3. yeares after the death and ruine of the Cardinall the voyces of the whole commons of England were vtterly turned against him accusing him in the Parliament at the blacke Fryers for deliuery of the Duchye of Angeow and Barledome of Maine also for the death of yâ— noble Prince Humfry Duke of Glocester They unputed moreouer to hym the losse of all Normandye saying vnto him that he was a swallower vp and consumer of yâ— kings treasure the expâ—iler of al good and vertuous counsaylers from the king and aduancer of vicious persons apparant aduersaryes to the publicke wealth so that he was called in euery mouth a traytour a murderer and a robber of the kinges treasure The Queene albeit she tenderly loued the Duke yet to appease the exclamation of the commons was forced to committee hym to the tower where he with as much pleasure and liberty as could be remayned for a month whiche being expired he was deliuered and restored agayne into his old place former fauour with the kyng where at the people more grudged then before It happened by the occasion of a commotion then beginning amongest the rude people by one whom they called Blewbeard that the parliament was for that tyme adiourned to Leycester thinking to the Queene by force and rigour of lawe to repâ—esse there the malice and euill will conceiued against the duke But at that place few of yâ— nobilitie would appeare Wherfore it was againe reiourned vnto LondoÌ„ kept at Westminster where was a whole company a ful appearance with the king and Queene with them the duke of Suffolke as chiefe counsailour The commons not forgetting their old grudge renewed agayn their former articles and accusations agaynst the sayde duke agaynst the byshop of Salisb. syr Iames Fynics Lord Say and other When the kyng perceaued yâ— no glosing nor dissimulation would serue to appease the continual clamour of the importunate coÌ„mons to make some quiet pacificatioÌ„ first he sequestred from hym the Lord say treasurer of Englande other the Dukes adherentes from theyr offices Then he put in exile the Duke of Suffolke for the terme of 5. yeares supposing by that space the furious rage of yâ— people would asswage But the hand of God woulde not suffer that giltles bloud of Humfrey Duke of Glocester to be vnreuenged or that flagitious person further to continue For wheÌ„ he shipped in Suffolke intending to be transported into Fraunce he was encountred with a shippe of warre belonging to the tower whereby he was taken and brought into Douer rode and there on the side of a ship boat one strake of his head which was about the yeare of our Lord. 1450. And thus haue ye heard the full storye and discourse of Duke Humfrey and of all hys aduersaries also of Gods condigne
siege After this discomfiture the saying is that Amurathes to keepe his vow made before after his victory at Uarna gaue himselfe into a religious order liuyng a contemplatiue life with certaine other Priestes ioyned vnto him in the forest of Bithynia renouncing the gouernement of his realme to the handes of Haly one of his Princes for thou must vnderstaÌ„d good Reader that the Turkes also be not without their sondry sectes of Religion no more then we Christians are without our Friers and Monkes In the meane tyme while Amurathes this Turkishe tyraÌ„ne was cloystered vp in his Monkish Religion Ioannes Huniades in the kyngdome of Hungary and Castriotus Scanderbeius in Grecia kept great styâ—re against the Turkes By reason wherof Amurathes was takeÌ„ againe from his Monkish vow and profession brought agayne into the field For first Huniades had rescued the whole couÌ„trey of Hungary and had propulsed moreouer all the might of the Turkes farre froÌ„ Seruia And although the peuishe practise of Grgins Prince of Servia had oft tymes disclosed his counsailes vnto the Turkes whereby twise he was brought in daunger yet notwithstandyng through the Lordes gracious protection he was preserued and deliuered by the sayd George vnto the Hungarians agayne after that manfully vaÌ„quished the Turkes so that they had no resting place about those parts of Seruia and Bulgaria so long as he liued On the other side in Grecia Castriotus ScaÌ„derbeius so foyled the Turke in defence of his couÌ„trey Epirus and Macedonia and kept Amurathes so short that not ouely he was not able to wynne any great Towne in all Epyrus but also commyng from Epyrus in the straites was so intaÌ„gled by Castriotus that he was forced to geue battaile In the which battaile he was so vanquished most part of his army slayne that for grief and sorrow conceaued he fallyng into a rauyng sicknesse was traÌ„sported out of his pauillon vnto Adrianople and there in fury madnesse dyed after he had reigned 34. yeares which was about the yeare of our Lord. 1450. This Amurathes first ordained the order of Ianizarites Which were the men children of such Christians as he conquered tooke captiue whom he forced to renounce the faith of Christ wherein they were Baptized brought them vp in Mahumetes law exercised them in the same feates of warre as he did his owne people and after that they came to mens estate he named them Ianizari that is to say souldiours of a straunge countrey and made them to garde his person They weare on their head is stead of an helmet a white attire made of the grossest sort of woll and in so manifolde aboute their head that it can not bee pierced with a sword It haÌ„geth downe on the backe with a taile and before on the forehead it is garnished with golde and siluer They were woont to vse bowes and launces in the fielde but nowe they vse dagges as oure horsemen do At the first institution there were but 8000. in theyr garrison but now they be twise so many This of all bondage and seruitude that the Christians suffer vnder the Turke is most intollerable and greatly to be of all true Christians lamented For what can godly mindes behold more to their griefe then to see their children pulled from the faith of Christ wherein they were baptised and by whose bloud they should eternally be saued and to be instructed and nourished with the blasphemous doctrine of Mahumet and to be professed enemies of Christ and hys Churche to make warre against heauen and to perish euerlastingly And finally what a lamentable thing is it to see and beholde our owne children borne of our owne bodies to become our mortall and cruell enemies and to cut our throtes with their owne hands This seruitude of minde is farre greater then death it selfe which if oure Princes would well consider it would cause them the rather to agree and bende their whole force and power against this cruell enemy ¶ Mahumetes second the ix after Ottomanus AMurathes left behind him three sonnes Mahumete borne of the daughter of Despota Prince of Seruia being twentie yeares of age the second sonne called Turcines the third named Calepinus This Turcines being an infant and but eighteene moneths old was strangled at the commandement of the Turke by his seruant Moses himselfe being there present and beholding the horrible murther And when Moses the executour of the murther had desired him not to pollute his handes with the bloud of his brother he answered that it was the manner of all the Ottoman Turkes that all the other breethren being destroied none should be lefte aliue but one to gonerue the Empire Wherefore Moses was commaunded by the tirant there presently and in his sight to kill the infant This horrible fact when the mother of the childe vnderstoode she crieng out and almost mad for sorrowe cursed the tirant to his face But he to mitigate the rage of his mother at her request being desirous to be reuenged vpon the executour of her sonnes death deliuered the said Moses bound into her hands who then in the presence of the tirant thrust him to the hart with a knife and opening his side tooke out his liuer and threw it to the dogges to be deuoured The third sonne called Calepinus which was but sixe moneths old the foresaid Amurathes his father commended to the custody of Halibassa one of his Nobles who to gratifie and please the tirant betraied the infant brought him vnto him and thereupon he at the tirants commandement was strangled Some affirme that in the stead of Calepinus another child was offered vnto the tirant and that Calepinus was conueied to Constantinople and after the taking of Constantinople was caried to Uenice and then to Rome to Pope Calixt where he was baptised and afterward came into Germany to Fridericke the Emperour and there was honorably enterteined kept in Austrich during his life Where note how the mercifull prouidence of God whom he list to saue can fetch out of the diuels mouth And note moreouer touching the foresayde Halibassa the betraier of the infant how he escaped not vnreueÌ„ged For Mahumet vnderstanding him to be a man of great substance and richesse thorough forging of false crimes with great torments put him to death to haue his richesse for this tirant was geuen to insatiable auarice Thus this bloudy Mahumete began his regiment with horrible murther after the example of other cursed tirants his predecessours Although this Mahumete notwithstandyng that hee came of a Christen mother being the daughter of Despota prince of Seruia and by her was brought vp and instructed from his childhood in the precepts of Christian religioÌ„ and maners yet he soone forgetting all gaue himselfe to Mahumetes religion and yet so that he being addicted to neyther Religion became an Atheist beleeuing and worshipping no God at all but onely the Goddesse of
pasture * A Welche leaper Wolfes in lambeskins described He complayneth against the valiant beggers the Friers * Homelich that is of his householde Wilfull pouertie abhorâ—ed The propertie of good shepeheards The pope is a chapman in Gods temple * Behoteth that is promiseth Note good reader if Christ be where iâ— or iij. be gathered in his name what neede is there of a lieuâ—tenant The place of giuing to Peter his keyes expounded The Pope proued a false Antichrist in Earth The pope abhomination described * Fulleden that is baptised Purgatorie 〈…〉 〈…〉 Selling of Byshopprickes and benefices Mariage A lesson how to marrye Swenens that is dreames Priestes had wyueâ— to the time of Anselmus A parable prophecying the destruction of the Pope The Pope compared to a birde fethered with other birdes fethers The first rysing of the pope The proude prosperitie of the pope The decay of the pope described The life and story of Armachanus Archb. and primate of Ireland The coÌ„mendation of Armachanus Armachanus cited by the Friers to appeare beâ—ee the P. The troâ—bles persecutions of Armachanus Armachanus preferred maniâ—old wayes â—â— the Lord. The prayer of Armachanus Caen. omnis vtri usque sexus Sex ex de â—â— re Note here he calleth not the sacrament of the altar Frier Dominike in the time of Pope Innocent the 2. obâ—ained not the confirmation of his order The order of Frier Dominike first confirmed by pope Innocent 3. The order of the Franciscans coÌ„firmed shortly after the Dominikes The bul of pope Gregory in the behalfeÌ„ of the Dominike Friers * Iniquitie hath abounded at Rome * Nay to the preaching rather of meÌ„s traditions against the word of God The Friers autorised to heare confessions to to enioyne penauâ—ce Pope Innocent the 4. against the Friers Pope Alexander the 4. vndoeth the actes of Pope Innocent the 4. his predecessour Extrau non sine multa Gul. de S. Amore Simon Iornalensis Godfridus de sontibus Hen. de Gandano foure champions against the Friers Articles of the students of Paris against the Friers Concilium Hispun The friers make dissentions Friers â—â—uou◠〈◊〉 houâ—eâ— Penetraâ—â—â— domâ—s Friers preâ—â—â— vncalled Friers haue no order of any calling in the church Certain coÌ„clusioÌ„s in the vniuersitie of Paris to be disputed of against the Friers Pope Alexander the 4 a great sauorer of the Friers Another pilgrimage giuen to the Friers by Pope Clement 4. Ex Clemâ—â—â— Quidam â—merè Pope Martin the 4. holdeth with cuâ—â—â— against the Friers Pope Bâ—â—â—face holder with the friers agaiâ—e Ex Clemeâ—â— consist Benif Super cathedraâ— Ex ClemeÌ„t inter cunctas Ioan Monach reuoketh his glose Pope Clement the 5. holdeth with the Fryers and repealeth the coÌ„stitution of Benedictus Ex Clement cap. dudum Fine diuers opinions of learned meÌ„ in this age holdyng against the Fryers The 2. opinion Bernardus super cap. â—mnis vtriusque The 3. opinion Isan de Poliaco Ex libro fratris Egelbertis Iohn de Poliaco caused to recant by P. Iohn the 22. The 3. assertions of Ioan de Poliaco against the Fryers 25. q. 1. Quae ad perpetuam Contra slatutae patrum condedere vel mu tare alâ—quid â—â—c huins quidem sedis potest entoritas The 4. opinion Guilielmus de monte LaÌ„duno Henricus de Gandauo The fift opiniÌ„on Ex libro cui â—itulus Defensorium curatorum Armachanus cited vp to the Pope by the Friers The protestatioÌ„ of Armachanus His theame Iohn 7. The first coÌ„clusion proponed Probation Certaintie Vtilitie Commoditie The first part of the first conclusion confirmed Deut. 12. Leuit. 4.5 The first part of the first conclusion confirmed by an other reason The second part of the first conclusion confirmed An other confirmatioÌ„ of the secoÌ„d part of the first article The third part of the first conclusion proued The 2. conclusion or Article 3. respectes or causes to be proued Ca. Religâ—si Clement de decimis In Clementino de priuilegijs cap. Religiosi The Friers proued to be excommunicate by the Popes lawe Cap. Cupientes de paeâ—â—â— Clement The Friers proued to be excommunicated or the popes lawe Another proofe that the parishner may more safely goe to his â—â—â—ate then to the Fryers The second part of the second conclusion proâ—â—â— Innocent â—ap Si animaruÌ„ The third part of the second conclusion argued Defensorium Curatorum Armachanus Cap. Duâ—â—â—â— The harmes that come to the world by the Friers declared Example of the Friers theft in Oxford Friers hinderers of Vniuersities 30. thousand students in Oxford in the time of Armachanus The Friers a great cause of decay of learning Bookes not to be gotten for the Friers Example what lacke of bookes commeth by the Friers The Friers giltie in 3. faultes 1. Disobedience 2. Auarice 3. Pride Armachanus chargeth the Friers with disobedience Friers disobedient to the rule of Scripture Friers disobedient to their own professioÌ„ Armachanus chargeth the Friers with auarice An other proofe An other proofe An other proofe Armachanus chargeth the friers with pride The 3. conclusion or article Arist E. theo lib. 1. The 4. conclusion of Armachanus against the Friers Ex vita S. Clementis Clements example contrarie to the Friers 13. quasi cap. 1. The 5. conclusion of Armachanus against the Friers The 6. conclusion of Armachanus against the Friers The rule of Frier Fraunces The seuenth coÌ„clusion of Armachanus against the Fryers Wilful beggery not to be promised The 8. conclusion of Armachanus against the Friers The 9. conclusion of Armachanus Touching this booke of the maisters of Paris condemned looke pag. 404. Ex Clement Quia quorundaÌ„ Pope Nicolas the 3. reuoketh the Bul of pope Alexander the fourth The ende and conclusion of this Oration of Armachanus before the pope Ex defensor to euratorum Notes to be obserued Contrarietie among the popes Whether the Fryers make vp the bodie of Antechrist or not The death of godly Armachanus The testimony of a Cardinall vpon Armachanus Ex Chron. reg Rich. 2. Fryers against the vniuersitie of Oxforde Englishe writers against the Friers Friers that write against Armachanus Testified by certayne Englishmen which are yet aliue haue scene it Pope Vibane 5. Anno. 1360. Vrbane coÌ„plaineth that no promotioÌ„ wold fall vpon him An answerd againe to Vrbane being made Pope Ex Sabel Enead 9. lib. 8. Howe the church of Rome came by their roiall possessions Nicholaus Orem A Sermon made before the Pope Esay 56. The worlde deuided into two sorts of men before the incarnation of Christ. Diuision 1 saxta est 2 Vt veniat 3 Vireueletat Amos. 5. The second part of his theame Aggeus 2. The third part of his sermon 1. Vt reueletur 2. Vt iuxta est 3. Vt Veniat 4. Salus The first part of the subdiuision Two rules to be noted The kingdome of Israel signifying the false Church The kingdome of Iuda signifieth the right church The 2. rule Esay 7. Osee. 9. Fiue
the hangman deceiued the sight of the people by some subtile sleight and craftie conueiance Not so quoth the hangman if ye suspect my dede open his mouth and diligently search the rootes of his tongue The Captaine at length being confounded with the fortitude and courage of the Martyr straightly commaundeth him to be brought backe into the prison and there to be strangled Where his sorowfull life and paines being ended hee nowe enioyeth quiet rest in the Lord with perpetuall hope of his miserable body to be restored againe with his soule into a better life where no tyrant shall haue any power Prudentius in hymnis de coronis Martyrum Gordius was a citizen of Caesaria a worthy souldiour and Captaine of an hundreth men Hee in the time of extreme persecution refusing any loÌ„ger to execute his charge did chuse of his owne accord willing exile and liued in the desert many yeares a religious and solitary life But vpon a certaine day when a solemne feast of Mars was celebrated in the citie of Caesarea and much people were assembled in the Theatre to beholde the games he left the desert and got him vp into the chiefe place of the Theatre and with a loude voyce vttered this saying of the Apostle Beholde I am fouÌ„d of them which sought me not and to those which asked not for mee haue I openly appeared By which wordes he let it to be vnderstood that of his owne accorde he came vnto those games At this noise the multitude litle regarding the sights looked about to see who it was that made such exclamation As soone as it was knowne to be Gordius and that the crier had commanded silence he was brought vnto the shiriâ—e which at that instant was present and ordeined the games WheÌ„ he was asked the question who he was from whence and for what occasion he came thether he telleth the truth of euery thing as it was I am come saith he to publish that I set nothing by your decrees against the Christian religion but that I professe Iesu Christ to be my hope and safety And when I vnderstood with what crueltie ye handle other men I tooke this as a fitte time to accomplish my desire The Shirife with these wordes was greatly mooued and reuengeth all his displeasure vpon poore Gordius commaunding the executioners to be brought out with scourges while gibbet whatsoeuer torments els might be deuised Whereunto Gordius answered saying that it shoulde be to him an hinderance and damage if hee coulde not suffer and endure diuers torments and punishments for Christ his cause The shirife being more offended with this his boldnesse commaunded him to feele as many kinde of torments as there were with all which Gordius notwithstanding coulde not be mastered or ouercome but lifting vp his eies vnto heauen singeth this saying out of the Psalmes The Lorde is my helper I will not feare the thing that man can doe to me and also this saying I will feare none euill because thou Lord art with me After this he against him selfe prouoketh the extremitie of the tormentours blameth them if they fauour him any thing at al. When the Shrife saw that hereby he could winne but little he goeth about by gentlenes and intising wordes to turne the stoute and valiant minde of Gordius He promiseth to him great and large offers if he wil denie Christ as to make him a Captaine of as many men as any other is to geue him richesse treasure what other thing so euer hee desireth But in vaine as the Prouerbe is pipeth the minstrell to him that hath no eares to heare for he deriding the foolish madnesse of the Magistrate sayth that it lieth not in him to place any in authority which he worthy to haue a place in heauen The Magistrate with these wordes throughly angred and vexed prepareth him selfe to his condemnation Whom after that he had coÌ„demned he caused to be had out of the Citie to be brent There runneth out of the Citie great multitudes by heaps to see him put to execution some take him in their armes louingly kisse him persuading him to take a better way and saue himself and that with weeping teares To whom Gordius answered weepe not I pray you for me but rather for the enemies of God which alwaies make warre against the Christians weepe I say for them which prepare for vs a fire purchasing hell fire for themselues in the day of vengeance And cease of further I pray you to molest and disquiet my setled minde Truly saith he I am ready for the name of Iesus Christ to suffer and indure a thousande deathes if neede were Some other came vnto him which persuaded him to deny Christ with his mouth to keepe his conscience to himselfe My toung sayeth hee which by the goodnes of God I haue cannot be brought to denie the author and geuer of the same for with the heart we beleeue vnto righteousnesse and with the toung we confesse vnto saluation Many moe such like wordes he spake but especially vttering to them such matter wherby he might perswade the beholders to death and to the desire of Martyrdome After all which with a mery and glad countenance neuer changing so much as his colour hee willingly gaue himselfe to be brent Basilius in Sermone in Gordium militem Caesariensem Not much vnlike to the story of Gordius is the story also of Menas an Egiptian who being likewise a souldiour by his profession in this persecution of Dioclesian forsooke al went into the desert where a long time he gaue hym selfe to abstinence watching and meditation of the Scriptures At length returning againe to the Citie Cotys there in the open threatre as the people were occupied vpon their spectacles or pastimes he with a loude voice openly proclaimed himselfe to be a christian and vpon the same was brought to Pyrrhus the President of whome he being demaunded of his faith made thys aunswere Conuenyent it is that I shoulde sayth he confesse God in whome is light and no darkenes for so much as Paule doth teache that with hart we beleue to righteousnes with mouth coÌ„fession is giuen to saluation After this the innocent Martyr was most painfully pinched and cruciate with sundrie punishments In all which notwithstanding he declared a constant heart and faith inuincible hauing these wordes in his mouth being in the middest of his torments There is nothing in my minde that can be compared to the kingdome of heauen Neither is al the world if it were wayed in balance able to be conferred with the price of one soule And sayd who is able to separate vs from the loue of Iesus Christ our Lord shal afflictioÌ„ or anguish And moreouer said he I haue thus learned of my Lord my king not to feare them which kill the body and haue no power to kill the soule but to feare him rather who hath power